Coconut Milk, Salmon, & Kale Corn Chowder
If you think about it, chowder is a little weird. A soup that uses milk and cream as it’s base? And has potatoes and seafood? What a bunch of strange ingredients. But somehow, it all works together. I love chowder in all it’s forms - with corn, potatoes, clams, dairy-based, tomato-based - you name it. A good chowder is warming, comforting, filling, and not too difficult to make. If you follow my blog or Instagram, you know I love coconut milk - I decided to give the classic chowder the ol’ Lory Mishra treatment. Coconut milk, salmon, kale, and lots of fresh corn. I seasoned it with some sambal olek and lime; spice and citrus are the perfect compliment to the sweet richness of coconut milk. And guys, this was so good, we had no leftovers at all.
Comfort food like soups and stews can be one-note, texturally. I need my food to have some crunch, some crisp, some zing. It needs intrigue! For this soup, I took one extra step and make some crispy potatoes to top the soup. You can skip this step but it does give it something special and reinforces the other bits of potatoes in the chowder from a different angle. This dish doesn’t need much else but if I were serving this at a dinner party, I would serve it with some toasty bread and butter.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
4 ears of corn
2/3 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
2 tsp sambal olek or sriracha
2 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
12 oz baby potatoes
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tsp butter
8 oz salmon (I used Coho)
1 cup frozen chopped kale or spinach (fresh works too!)
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 275 F.
Prepare the corn and potatoes. Take the ears of corn and with a knife, shave off all kernels. Then take the back of the knife and scrape to remove as much of the liquid or corn milk as you can. Set aside 6 baby potatoes (3 per serving). Cube the remaining potatoes into small bites.
In a separate small pot, add the remaining potatoes, cover all the way with tap water and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 15 mins, or until a knife can be easily pierced through. Then drain the boil potatoes and set aside.
Now place the salmon on a baking sheet and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the top. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 25 mins. Remove once cooked , cover, and set aside.
While the salmon cooks, make the chowder. Heat a 4-6 qt heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil and once the oil is shimmering, add the shallots and garlic. Sprinkle with a little salt and cook for about 4-5 mins. Now add the corn kernels and potatoes to the pan and mix through. Then add the sambal olek and cook for another 2 mins. Add the coconut milk, water, and stir through. Taste for salt and pepper and season accordingly. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat back to medium and add the kale. Cover the pot partially with a lid and let cook for 20 mins to reduce the liquid. After 20 mins, add the juice of 1/2 lime and cook uncovered for 5 additional mins.
Optional: While the chowder cooks, take a small skillet and place over medium high heat and add the last 2 tsp of oil. Once the oil is almost smoking, place the boiled potatoes in the oil. Then take a small glass bowl or drinking water glass and press down on the potatoes to flatten them. Let the smashed potatoes brown for about 4 mins; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes gently, add the little bit of butter, and brown the other side for 3 mins.
Assemble the chowder in layers. First, flake the salmon with a fork or break up with your hands. Add a base layer of salmon, then chowder, then more salmon, and then finally, more chowder. Gently mix through. Top with 3 crispy potatoes and a squeeze of lime.
