lily gilding

gilding our Christmas by the sea lily with seafood chowder

Christmas dinner - chowder with fresh haddock, scallops, shrimp, lobster, cream & butter
December 25th is the most excellent time of the year for some big ol' lily gilding

If you stop by later I promise to post the recipe but right now Missy D and I are off to spend Christmas morning with our 5 year old best friend and my dogson Juicy - hooray !

& a merry christmas Sally ;-)

Christmas by the Sea Chowder

2 medium carrots grated
2 large stalks of celery finely chopped (and celery tops)
1 large onion finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. butter
1-3 tsps. Old Bay Seasoning (if you have it)
fresh garlic minced
8 medium white potatoes (chop 4 of them into small cubes)
14 large sea scallops* - cut into pieces
1 dozen large zipperback shrimp in shell
1 lb fresh haddock
1/2 lb lobster meat (knuckles & claws)
1 lb of haddock fillets (or any white fish or salmon)
1 cup of water
1 cup of clam or seafood** broth (I used chicken stock)
1 pint blend cream (10% milk fat)
additional milk to thin as needed
2-3 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
2-3 green onions finely minced
salt & pepper to taste

Cook 4 (of the 8) potatoes whole in boiling salted water until just cooked. Cool and refrigerate.

Put oil and butter in the bottom of a dutch oven or large pot, add carrots, celery, green pepper onions, garlic and Old Bay Seasoning - saute gently until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes clear. Add potatoes, broth & water. Cover, turn the heat to low and let this simmer until the potatoes are cooked & beginning to fall apart (about 5 mins). The potatoes cooked in the chowder help to thicken and add body. Add scallops, haddock & shrimp put lid back on and let this simmer for another 5 mins or until fish and scallops are white and opaque looking - no longer translucent. Add cooked lobster meat. Add milk or cream. Peel the previously cooked potatoes and cut into large chunks & add. Cover again and on low heat bring the chowder back up to a simmer. Pour into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley & minced green onions. Serve.

* because we love vegetables here at Black Street. When I reheat our chowder this evening I will add 2-3 cups of frozen corn to the pot. And just before serving I'll quickly saute 1 medium sliced zucchini and a handful of fresh asparagus chunks in garlicky olive oil in a very hot pan. The chowder is so delicious with this last addition of crunchy garlicky green goodness. Enjoy !