Chowder is most definitely a paleo+ dish containing full fat cream and peeled white potatoes.
Let's begin ...
Peel and dice a few salad potatoes. I prefer salad potatoes to larger white potatoes for Chowder since they retain some firmness.
Chop an onion, or half an onion and some leek. I went with half an onion and some leek. Later, we're going to add in spring onions and chives, so lots more goodness from the onion family. No garlic!
You'll need some chicken or fish stock and full fat cream. No milk!
You'll also need some shellfish - clams, mussels, scallops, prawns; perhaps fish - cubes of monkfish, salmon, tuna, swordfish, something firm.
Anything else? I added some oyster mushrooms.
To the pan ...
In a large heavy-based skillet, begin by softening the onion and leek in some butter.
Toss in your cubed potatoes and let them just colour in the butter. Pour in the stock and perhaps some more water (or white wine, if you have some), allowing the potatoes to soften.
Once soft, retrieve a few pieces and mash - this is the thickener.
Toss in any shellfish you don't want to colour up and any other ingredients you've assembled - oyster mushrooms, for me and prawns. I also had scallops, which I just wanted to colour up prior to serving.
Pour in sufficient cream to make the dish opaque, season with sea salt and flavour with white pepper and a good handful of chopped parsley.
Reduce for a few minutes until thickened.
Ready to serve?
Colour up a few scallops in butter while you're serving out the Chowder into wide brim bowls. Scatter some shredded spring onion over, crown with scallops and garnish with some chopped chives.
Wow! Too gorgeous!
