Halibut Andouille Chowder with Herbed Parmigiana Crustini

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 60 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Cuisine: American

Courses: Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Difficulty: Beginner

Servings: 8

Ingredients

drizzle Olive Oil
16 oz Spicy Chorizo
6 stalk Celery (Coarsely chopped)
2 White Onions (meduim) (Coarsely chopped)
2 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled and coarsely diced in chunks)
2 tsp Paprika
3 Bay Leaves
Fresh Thyme Sprigs (Small bunch)
64 floz Seafood Stock
2 lb Fresh Halibut (Skinned and cubed)
2 cup Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Green Onion (Finely chopped for garnish)
Herbed Parmigiana Crustini (See Recipe)

Instructions

1
Dice the chorizo. In a large stock pot, add drizzle of olive oil and chorizo. Cook until chorizo starts to brown and releases it's oil. Remove chorizo and let drain on a paper towel. Reserve for later.
For the chowder, I like to keep all the main ingredients very coarsely chopped. I feel this adds a better mouth-feel and creates a hearty, chunky chowder.
2
Chop celery and onion. Add to stock pot with chorizo oil and sauté until slightly softened. Season with salt and pepper.
3
Bundle thyme sprigs, but reserve several sprigs for garnish. Add to stockpot with seafood stalk, bay leaves, and paprika. Stir and bring to a boil.
I have some great food safe silicon bands I use for bundling herbs, but cooking twine will work, too.
4
Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to stockpot and lower heat to about mid-high. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, but not mushy. (About 20 min)

While the potatoes cook, start prepping the Herbed Parmigiana Crustini. You can find the recipe here.
5
Remove skin from halibut and cut into bite-sized cubes. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Add halibut and reserved chorizo to stockpot. Cook until halibut is fully white and tender.
I try to be picky when buying fish. Off-color, overly fishy, and chemical smells are all red flags. I also avoid dorsal cuts that include the dorsal vein (commonly a large brownish stripe that runs through the filet). While the dorsal vein wont hurt you, I find that the flavor and texture is unpleasantly inconsistent with the rest of the fish.
6
Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream. Test and season additionally with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in bowls. Garnish with green onions, thyme sprigs, and Herbed Parmagian Crustini.

Keywords: Halibut, seafood, chowder, andouille, soup, comfort food