Chowder…

Last Sunday as you know, I made a large low-country boil for Sam’s birthday. As I planned, we had a decent amount of leftovers. I knew even before I made the low-country boil that I wanted leftovers to make seafood chowder. 

I didn’t use a recipe for my chowder, I start all of my chowders the same. Sometimes I saute bacon, remove it from the pan, and set it aside to put it back into the chowder later. Next, I saute the veggies in the bacon fat. This time I wasn’t going to add bacon to the chowder since I had some kielbasa to add at the end. This time I sauteed some celery and onions in a little bacon fat that I keep in a jar that I call liquid gold in the refrigerator.

When the onions were translucent I added potato starch to create a roux. I let the roux cook then I added some leftover corn that I cut off the cob and baby potatoes. I let the veggies cook for a few minutes then I added half and half. Not too much because I can always add more to thin it out later. 

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As the half and half got warm the chowder started to thicken. I added a bit more and let the chowder simmer gently for 15 minutes; then I added the leftover seafood, basically just heating it through for a few minutes. I made sure not to overcook it or the shellfish would get rubbery. I tasted the chowder for seasoning and added a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.

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Such a simple use of leftovers for a super yummy meal. I sent a bowl with Sam to work with a couple of cheddar bay biscuits that I made. He told me a couple of days later when I saw him how delicious it was. ☺️

Planning meals can be tricky enough so when you can squeeze out a second meal with leftovers it’s like a two-for-one sale! Hurray!! 🍲 🦞 🦐 🌽 🥔 🥛 🧅