Joe's Scallop Chowder

Joe's Scallop Chowder

By Joseph Parish

I never tire of eating seafood in any way, shape or form. Soups, stews and chowders are especially high on my desired list. I recently purchased a can of Wye River Scallop Chowder. It had a very good flavor, but the problem was the ingredients. At best there may have been four chucks of little potatoes in it and for the life of me I could not locate any Scallops. It was nothing more than a flavored broth. This made me want to make a pot of my own, since I knew beforehand that it would not go to waste. My eldest son, Joe Jr, also has this unsatisfied hunger for seafood dishes.

Without hesitation, I ventured out to gather all the necessary ingredients needed to make this dish. We are fortunate here in Seaford, having a fresh fish market nearby so obtaining quality seafood is never a problem. I proceeded to purchase a pound of Bay Scallops from the shop and since I had the vegetables already in the refrigerator, I was ready to cook.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter (this is the only butter we use)

1 small onion diced up

1 cup of chopped celery (I find it difficult to cook anything without adding celery)

3 garlic cloves, minced up real fine

1 bay leaf

2 cans of Wye River Scallop Chowder (I used this because it had a good flavor)

2 cups water

1 bouillon cubes

4 small potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup of whole milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 pound Bay scallops

4 Tablespoons of dried parsley leaves (I cannot make anything without adding parsley to it)

Some people add bacon to their mixture; however, I am a firm believer that bacon should not be adulterated in such a manner.

DIRECTIONS

Start with a large crock pot and add the 3 tablespoons of the butter, onions and celery. Cook until softened, which should take approximately 5 minutes. Now add the garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Proceed to cook until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 3 minutes. Make sure to not get them to brown. Finally, add your potatoes and the bullion, water and Wye River Chowder cans. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil. Lower the temperature and simmer for 30 minutes. The broth should start to thicken up. Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the milk. Add your salt and pepper as needed.

In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add half of the scallops and sauté until a golden color. It should take about 2 minutes. Add the scallops to the chowder and repeat with the remaining scallops and butter.

Set the mixture aside to allow all the flavors to blend together. Reheat the pot over a low heat, but do not boil it. Enjoy it as I did.

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