Tomato Seafood Chowder

I brought my own lunch - marinara pasta - to Tezerina's place one day. She shared this seafood chowder recipe with me which she and her hubby loved.

As I have mentioned before, marinara is a mix of various seafood, usually prawn, mussel, squid, basa fillet, scallop, salmon. The type of fish in the mix varies, depending on whether it is the premium type or not.

A comparison of the prices of marinara mix in supermarkets:

Woolies - it can be as cheap as around A$8/kg (50% off) or just under A$10/kg on special.

Coles - around A$10/kg for the premium marinara mix. There is salmon in this premium mix.

(Serves 4) Adapted from Recipezaar

4 slices short cut bacon, chopped

500g marinara mix

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup celery, finely sliced

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cups water

2 tsp Massel chicken stock powder

2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup carrot, finely sliced

1 large can 800ml tomato juice (I used Coles home brand)

2 cups angel's hair pasta (I bought the broken ones. You may use any other short pasta that you like)

salt and black pepper to taste

In a heated large saucepan, add olive oil, bacon, celery and onions. Cook until the bacon is brown and the celery and onions are tender and soft.

Add water, chicken stock powder, tomato juice, carrots, and potatoes. When the mixture comes to a boil, add pasta. Cover and simmer for around 15-20 mins or until potatoes and pasta are cooked.

Add marinara mix and cook until the prawns and fish are cooked. If you do not add pasta in the cooking, add corn flour (mixed with some water) to get your desired thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the soup is just starting to bubble away, turn off the heat and serve. Best served with warm bread.

It is autumn now and we are approaching winter. Any seafood lover will enjoy this nice warm soup to round up the day :) I will try out a creamy version of this another time.