SMOKY OYSTER CHOWDER with BACON, ROSEMARY & FENNEL

Are you ready to dive into a bowl of pure oceanic bliss? This Smoky Oyster Chowder is a seafood delight that will have your taste buds doing a happy dance.

Servings     Prep Time     Cook Time     

 8-10serv.     25mins           45mins 

Ingredients:

200 grams smoky bacon, cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary.
2 dried red chiles, stemmed and broken.
4 small celery ribs, finely chopped.
2 large carrots finely chopped.
1 large onion, finely chopped.
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped.
2 litres Seafood Stock
115 grams unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
750 grams fingerling potatoes, cut into 2 centimetre rounds.
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 Cups freshly shucked Oysters with their liquor
Tabasco, for serving

Method:

In a large pot, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot. Add the rosemary and chiles to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Add the celery, onion, carrot and fennel and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the seafood stock and bring to a simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the roux is the color of peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Scrape the roux into the soup and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer until tender and the soup has thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper and return to a simmer.

Add the oysters and bacon to the soup and simmer until the oysters are just cooked, about 3 minutes. Spoon the chowder into deep bowls and serve with Tabasco.