Lobster Chowder
Serve this rich chowder alongside a green salad and buttered biscuits, dinner rolls, or common crackers.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
- 2 ounces smoked slab bacon, cut into ¼" dice
- 2 medium leeks, white part only, rinsed and cut to ½" dice
- 4 medium russet or red potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 cups water, lobster or fish stock, or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound cooked lobster, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Sea salt to taste
- OPTIONAL: pinch cayenne pepper or dash of hot sauce
- OPTIONAL: fresh chives, snipped
Add the diced bacon to a 4-quart Dutch oven and fry it over moderate heat until golden and nearly crisp. If the bacon renders more than 2 tablespoons of fat, pour off the excess.
Add the leeks, stir to coat them in the bacon fat, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and reduce the heat to low; cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning, or until the potatoes are tender. Mash some of the potatoes with a fork, if desired.
Add the water, stock, or broth; bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Whisk the butter into the broth. Once the butter is melted, add the pepper, lobster, and cream. Stir gently and cook on low to bring all the ingredients to temperature. Taste for seasonings, and add sea salt, additional black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce, if desired.
Remove the pan from the stove, cover, and allow the chowder to ripen for 15 or 20 minutes before serving. Ladle into warmed shallow soup bowls; sprinkle with snipped chives, if desired.
Healthy Alternatives
If you don't want to use heavy cream in the Lobster Chowder recipe, decrease the amount of water, stock, or broth by a cup and add 2 cups of milk. Do not use half-and-half because it has a tendency to curdle.
