Sus' Easy Crockpot Salmon Chowder

Here's a yummy looking dish from fellow techie, blogger and my guest contributor: Sus Schmitt

Sus: No, I don’t eat much fish. Even with my Norwegian background, I’m not much of a fish eater. Grandpa Nils would be in shock. (He was raised in a small fishing community.)  I love salmon recipes, though, especially this salmon chowder.

The original recipe is from Taste of Home. Here’s how I prepare it in a Crockpot (slow cooker) with slight variations to make the chowder lower fat, but just as tasty. Also, since this variation is cooked in a Crockpot, I cut back on the seasonings a bit.

Salmon Chowder, photo courtesy of Sus Schmitt

First, I plan to bake the salmon for dinner one night.  I just sprinkle 2/3 of a large filet with mesquite seasoning and bake it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the fish is no longer dark pink.  I save the unflavored 1/3 of the cooked salmon for chowder one or two days later.

Ingredients:

On your chowder-making day, turn your Crockpot to high and add:

• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 cup diced, raw, unpeeled red potatoes
• 1 cup shredded carrots (I use the store-bought shredded carrots and cut them up a little finer)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried dill weed

Sauté in a little olive oil:

• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped green bell pepper (you could try a red bell pepper)
• 1 minced large garlic clove

Add the vegetables to the Crockpot and cook at least 2 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, turn the Crockpot to low and add:

• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
• ½  cup half-and-half cream
• 1 ½ cups reduced-fat milk
• 1-3/4 to 2 cups fully cooked salmon chunks with fat and skin removed

Yields 8 servings. Serve with or without cheese crackers.

This chowder also is delicious as a leftover, so don’t worry about making 2 quarts of it. (I served it to a visiting friend several months ago. She was quietly worrying as I dished up “fish soup” for lunch, but one sip won her over.)

About Sus Schmitt

Sus Schmitt serves as a Technology Ministry Developer for Women’s Resources at Cru. Her goal is to equip Campus Crusade for Christ staff to have more effective ministries through learning technological skills. Her main medium to do this is through her blog, eQuipping for eMinistry.  Sus also maintains a personal site, Mike and Sus.org and an evangelistic site, The Sovereign.  You can find her on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Sus is enjoying her new role as a “nana” to a cute, little boy.