Smoked Salmon, Corn & Sweet Potato Chowder

It's soup season friends!  And I am in love with this creamy, flavorful chowder with smoky salmon and/or trout and bright nuggets of corn and sweet potato.  Dreamy!

This chowder is totally alluring.  The smoky, luxurious salmon and creamy, buttery finish paired with those veggies brings a smile to your face.  I love biting into a sweet niblet of corn or a bit of sweet potato, and if you decide to add in the chili flake, you get some heat at the finish that is quite pleasing.

Using cold smoked salmon from the fishmonger at your local grocery store or a can of regular salmon coupled with a small tin of smoked trout will get you those deep smoky flavors without a lot of effort.  Two grocery stores by me sell the cold smoked salmon in a pouch in the seafood refrigerated section. 

Adding coconut milk makes this decadent and creamy, but you can also add heavy cream if you'd like.  I just like to keep it dairy free for myself.  I also ave an option in the recipe below to make the soup even thicker by creating a roux with a bit of flour or brown rice flour, but I didn't find I needed to do that.  You can decide If that's for you.

START BY RENDERING THE FAT FROM THE BACON UNTIL IT CRISPS UP

Once everything is on the pot, you simply cover and simmer for about 20 minutes just until the sweet potatoes become tender and then soup's on.  This is a great weeknight recipe since it's quick, satisfying, delicious  and healthy.  It checks all my boxes.

READY FOR A SLOW SIMMER

REMOVE THAT BAY LEAF AFTER IT'S DONE ITS JOB

I top with a bit of fresh cilantro that I absolutely love, but if you're cilantro averse, simply leave it off and serve with your favorite crackers.

YUM!□

Some of my favorite affiliate items used in this recipe:

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Smoked Salmon,  Sweet Potato & Corn Chowder
Serves 6

2 slices of bacon diced. (Extra if you want to serve bacon on top of the soup) (always look for uncured bacon)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 medium or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
3 bulbs garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 14 ounce can full fat coconut milk
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons butter or plant based butter for dairy free option
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes if you want some heat (I love Aleppo chili flakes)
8 ounce pouch cold smoked salmon or 1 can salmon, drained + 1 small tin smoked trout in oil, torn into bite sized bits
Handful chopped cilantro for garnish

Start by adding the bacon to a dutch oven or large soup pot available on my SHOP page) and on low heat slowly start rendering the fat from the bacon.  The bacon will become crispy and that bacon fat will be perfect for sautéing your onions.

Now add in the onions, olive oil, salt and pepper, stir until the onions start to become translucent (about 3 minutes)

Add in the celery, corn, sweet potatoes, garlic and bay leaf.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the coconut milk, vegetable stock, butter, pepper flakes if using and smoked salmon or salmon & smoked trout option.

Cover & simmer on low for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.  Remove the bay leaf.
Serve with crackers and perhaps some additional crisped bacon pieces.

**For a thicker chowder - add 2 tablespoons flour or brown rice flour when you add the celery, corn and sweet potatoes.  Stir in very well and allow the flour to cook a bit before adding in the liquids gradually.  This will make the soup thicker.  Just ensure you add the liquids gradually, stirring consistently to avoid clumps.