LOX CHOWDER

Lox Chowder image

There is a recipe for lox chowder in Mark Russ Federman's charming memoir of his family's appetizing business on the Lower East Side of Manhattan: "Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes From the House That Herring Built." I put a version of it into The Times in 2013. The soup tastes best made with the store's smoked salmon trimmings, which offer a lot of fatty, flavorful bits from up around the fish's collar (and cheap, too!), but a number of test runs using supermarket smoked salmon offered evidence that the soup is still terrific when made outside the five boroughs of New York City, with a fantastic smokiness tempered by the sweet flavors of potato and leek.

Provided by Sam Sifton

Categories dinner, weekday, main course

Time 1h10m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, trimmed and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 large, starchy potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, either homemade or low-sodium
1 bay leaf
2 cups whole milk
4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked
3/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh chives, minced, for garnish

Steps:

Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Add leek, carrot and celery, and cook until the vegetables have softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, potato and thyme, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir to combine, then cook, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes, making sure not to scorch the bottom of the pan.
Add the wine, chicken stock and bay leaf, and bring mixture to a simmer. After 10 minutes or so, stir in the milk, and return to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, approximately 25 minutes. Add the salmon and stir gently, allowing the fish to warm but making sure that the mixture does not boil.
Remove the bay leaf and discard. Add the cream, then stir to combine and heat through. Season to taste with pepper. Garnish with minced chives.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 312, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 22 grams, Fat 20 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 278 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams, TransFat 0 grams