Alaskan Salmon Chowder

A week or two ago we watched an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. It was a Salmon Chowder Throwdown and took place at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Once we'd watched that episode we couldn't get it out of our heads, so I came up with this recipe after scouring the internet and not finding exactly what I was after.

Alaskan Salmon Chowder
Serves: 6

6-8" lemongrass stalks, bruised
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery - use some of the leaves if you have them
2 diced carrots
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed, diced, or grated fine
1.5 lb diced potato of your choice - I used Russian fingerling
1 carton of broth, chicken or veggie.
1 can creamed corn
3/4 lb. wild caught king salmon, cut in chunks - this has a nice amount of fat that will cook out and add flavor to the chowder
evoo & butter, 1 Tbsp ea.
salt & pepper, to taste

Simmer the lemongrass & coconut milk together in a small pot until you're ready to add it to the chowder. Be careful not to boil or burn the coconut milk.

Saute the chopped onions & celery in evoo/butter mixture until soft. Add garlic, stir in moving quickly and being careful not to burn the garlic. Add diced potato and carrot, salt & pepper. Add broth and simmer about 20 minutes or until potatoes are almost done. Add creamed corn and return to boil. Add chunked salmon and simmer until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily. Remove lemongrass from coconut milk and stir warmed milk into salmon mixture. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Serve with yummy bread. This recipe is good and quick. I didn't let it raise the 2nd time and made only 1/2 batch. It was plenty.

*After using the fresh lemongrass I found a tube of lemongrass pulp or something like that at a different store. The lemongrass stalks I used didn't add as much, or noticeably any, flavor to the coconut milk. I was looking for just a kind of bright flavor and didn't get it, the stuff I got was quite possibly past its useful life but I hadn't ever used it before and didn't realize. Next time I would probably sub the tube lemongrass. I used it later in the week in a different soup and it did just what I wanted.