Picasso’s seafood chowder

Photo: John Cosgrove
Photo: John Cosgrove
Ask a Chef reveals the secrets of those superb dishes you ate in cafes and restaurants and wanted to try yourself.

Picasso’s seafood chowder

Ingredients
4 Tbsp plain four
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp smoked paprika
500ml milk
500ml cream
1 litre fish stock
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 onion
1 capsicum (we use a mixture of colours)
1 lemon
4 cloves garlic, crushed
40ml fish sauce
chopped parsley
chopped dill
300g marinara mix
300g mussel meat
300g surimi
200g shrimp
500g fresh white fish fillets
salt and pepper.
pinch of cayenne pepper

Method
1. Cut onion, carrot, celery and capsicum into small dice.

2. Melt butter in pot on medium heat and sweat off the vegetables and garlic, dill and smoked paprika until onion is translucent, not brown.

3. Remove from heat and stir in flour to create roux.

4. Return to heat and slowly add the stock, milk and cream stirring constantly until the sauce starts to thicken, reduce heat and slowly simmer.

5. Cut shellfish up into chunky pieces and add to sauce. Cook another 10 minutes.

6. Add chunky cut fish near the end so the fish does not break up.

7. Zest lemon and squeeze its juice into sauce.

8. Add fish sauce and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

9. Adjust consistency with a dash of milk.

10. Add chopped parsley and stir through close to serving so parsley keeps its vibrant green colour.

11. Garnish with two steamed mussels, a sprig of Italian parsley and micro herbs.

Recipe provided by Picasso’s at Rosebank Lodge. Recipe requested by Julia Monaghan, of New South Wales, Australia.

If you have enjoyed a dish in an Otago cafe or restaurant and would like the recipe, write to Ask a Chef, Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, Dunedin, or email odt.features@odt.co.nz, including your name, address and a daytime telephone number, and we will request it.

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