Some food, some drink.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Abstract: Beta recipes are my own experiments that I've only tried once. Usually palatable, they often could be better with a little tweaking - So please do, and let me know what works!

Soup is a great excuse to experiment with flavors. For this trial, I'm loading a creamy chowder with vegetables and finishing it with the rich, smoky sweetness of hot-smoked Sockeye salmon.

Purpose: It's cold as hell and I'm craving bread. If I'm going to be making a meal out of it, I figure soup would be a pretty good choice as it's a great excuse to use copious amounts of fresh-baked bread as an edible sponge. A few years back, I used to make a navy bean chowder that I was quite fond of, but I never seemed to take the time to jot down the recipe as I made it. So, I decided to take this "soup-ortunity" to reconstruct that favorite lost recipe of mine with an added upgrade of hot-smoked salmon.  Inspiration to tinker with a concocted creation usually comes from combining ingredients I have on-hand. In this case, I had just finished making shrimp stock, and I also had a surplus jar of smoked salmon that didn't get transformed into a cracker-topper (similar to this one) for New Year's.

Observation:

• Don't even think about using cold-smoked salmon in this application. There's a significant difference. Save the raw stuff for sushi or your bagel with a schmear.
• If you're not hot-smoking your own fish, it can be a bit expensive to procure.  If you wanna be a cheapskate, you could probably use canned salmon and a smoked paprika garnish to get you sorta-kinda close (or, go vegetarian and ditch the fish).
  
• I'm using shrimp stock because it's what I had. That little bit of sweetness the shrimp imparts to the liquid seemed like a good choice to reinforce that flavor of the ocean. I'm sure chicken stock or even broth would be acceptable too; as would a good vegetable stock.
  
• I know including diced potato in a sweat seems kinda dumb, but I do the same thing in potato soup and it works swell. The idea (in theory) is to liberate some of those starches in the potato so that they mingle with the grease present for the sweat so as to make a sort of  makeshift roux.
• Oh, geez; canned creamed corn again? Yeah well, we're using it for the same reasons: It helps add body to the soup which means we have to add less heavy cream, which can be a good thing if you're trying to be more health-conscious (or burn your fat consumption for the day on a big-ass slice of cheesecake).
  
• I absolutely love the no-soak cooking method for dry beans. The texture is always perfect. All the same, feel free to use a can of rinsed beans if you don't have 90 minutes to not watch an oven (seriously, try the no-soak beans). 
• Please pay attention to when ingredients are added. Much like chili, if you add ingredients like beans too soon, it totally borks their texture and they get lost in the soup.
  

Results: I've got relatives living in the 49th state; and as much as I love them, my access to great local products from elsewhere that makes me glad they live 2000+ miles away (conveniently selfish, I know).  Growing up, when we were lucky enough to have smoked salmon, it was always hot-smoked; so you can imagine my confusion ("Hey, this is good, but you didn't finish cooking it!") the first time I sampled the cold-smoked variety. Regardless, both methods have their merits, and the rich, salty/smoky flavor of hot-smoked Sockeye salmon strikes the perfect balance with the more delicate flavors in this vegetable-laden soup.

I like texture in my soups, and this chowder's got it in spades. Despite this soup's purpose as a vehicle for a star ingredient, the chowder could probably stand on its own if you had to make it without the star Salmonid. Every bite begins with a lip-smacking creaminess that covers bites of tender vegetables that are infused with a hint of spice from fennel, black pepper and coriander.  If you have a little extra smoked salmon (I made sure to save some back to snack on), flake a bit over the top of your chowder to make the whole experience deluxe.

Gallery:

The pride of my pantry: A jar of home-canned, hot-smoked Sockeye.

The pride of my pantry: A jar of home-canned, hot-smoked Sockeye.

This jar of shrimp stock was one of the muses for this soup. Love that rich amber color! If you're shelling raw shrimp, it pays to save the exoskeletons.

This jar of shrimp stock was one of the muses for this soup. Love that rich amber color! If you're shelling raw shrimp, it pays to save the exoskeletons.

Yes, I will sing the praises of mise en place'n again:  It keeps a cook organized, and ensures that you're not distracted when you should be paying-heed…

Yes, I will sing the praises of mise en place'n again:  It keeps a cook organized, and ensures that you're not distracted when you should be paying-heed to a timer.

Including the diced potato in our sweat sets starches free so we can better thicken our chowder.

Including the diced potato in our sweat sets starches free so we can better thicken our chowder.

I can't stand a thin soup; I could get that from a can. I want a bite of everything everytime I pick up the spoon.

I can't stand a thin soup; I could get that from a can. I want a bite of everything everytime I pick up the spoon.

Here's the finished Smoked Salmon Chowder experiment. I'm slugging back an IPA with this one. Its hoppy bitterness plays nice with those sweet and smoky…

Here's the finished Smoked Salmon Chowder experiment. I'm slugging back an IPA with this one. Its hoppy bitterness plays nice with those sweet and smoky flavors in the soup.