Creamy Seafood Chowder

Following the tomato version that I made last month, Tezerina shared a creamy version with me. Her hubby prefers this to the tomato version. I had planned to try it this week but our friend D cooked us a very similar version when we went to their place for dinner last week. Anyway, I thought I would still give it a go and I loved it!

Creamy seafood chowder with homemade crusty garlic bread (in the background)

(Adapted from Taste)
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 stick celery*, sliced
3 potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
750ml chicken stock**
1 can corn kernels***
500g marinara mix****
200ml light thickened cream
half a handful of chopped fresh chives (dried chives is fine)
half a handful of chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley (dried parsley is fine)
bread of your choice - try something you have not eaten before

You can buy loose celery sticks that comes like that (in the photo). Buy how ever many you want, so you don't have to worry about having lots left over

Heat a large saucepan or soup pot. When the pot is hot, add a good drizzle of olive oil. (Take note NOT to add olive oil and allow it to heat up too long before you put in other ingredients. It is unlike asian cooking where you add the cooking oil and allow it to heat up) Add onion, carrot and celery and cook until fragrant. Add potatoes, water and chicken stock. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 mins until the veggies are tender. Cool the mixture slightly and blend (I used a convenient stick blender) until smooth. Return soup to the pot.

Add corn kernels, marinara mix and cream. Stir without boiling for about 3 mins or until seafood is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir through chives and parsley. Serve immediately with toasted bread. (I love garlic bread)


*You may buy loose celery sticks from supermarkets. However, the most common ones are whole celery or half celery. I bought the loose ones since I hardly use celery (I don't like them unless they are soft, cooked and tasteless). I did not want to have lots left over and end up not using them. They cost me A$2.67/kg at Woolies.

**I used 2 tsp of Massel stock powder and 1 L of water. Alternatively, use store-bought liquid stock. Use fish stock if you can get hold of it.

***I didn't have any corn at home and I didn't want to pop by the supermarket just to buy a can of corn. I used a can of cannellini beans which I had in my pantry. I also decided to throw in some frozen peas at the last minute to boost my vegetable intake.

****Marinara mix was on sale at 50% off of $7+/kg at Woolies last week.

What we had last week at D's place. Her recipe is very similar except that hers is thicker. I think I added a bit too much water in mine :p

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.

Improved Seafood Pasta with Cream Sauce

Two months ago, I posted a recipe for marinara (mixed seafood) pasta with cream sauce. Last night, I made a similar dish but an improved version. This time I did not use marinara mix. Instead I cooked with Basa fillets, prawns, mushrooms and peas. I often purchase Basa fillets and prawns, which are frequently on sale, at either Woolies or Coles and stock them in my freezer.

(serves 4)
400g prawns, shelled and de-veined

2 pieces of Basa fillets, diced into small bite-size pieces

1/2 cup frozen peas (omit this if you are not a pea-lover)

5-6 button mushrooms, sliced

400ml thickened cream (use the light low-fat variety if you prefer)

3 Tbsp white wine or chicken stock

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

400g linguine (or any ribbon pasta like spaghetti, fettucine, angel's hair)

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

sprinkling of dried parsley (or fresh parsley if you have)

1/2 red onion, sliced or diced

salt and pepper to taste

dash of lemon juice

Cook pasta in salted boiling water, according to instructions on the packet until aldente.

In the meantime, heat a frying pan. When heated, add olive oil, onions and garlic and cook until they are lightly softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add wine/stock, cream and lemon juice and cook for another minute until it starts to simmer. Add fish, prawns and dried parsley. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes or until seafood is cooked through and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Add parmesan cheese and you should see the sauce begin to thicken. Add pepper to taste. Dish cream sauce over cooked pasta on a plate. Serve immediately.

My guests have commented that it looks and tastes like Carbonara sauce. I think this is the healthier version with low fat cream and no eggs :)

Marinara Pasta with Tomato Base Sauce

I love seafood and definitely marinara mix. I have shared 2 recipes with cream sauce to cook with marinara. Here is a simpler, shortcut way for a tomato-based sauce.

500g marinara mix

1 bottle of Bertolli tomato and basil sauce (This Bertolli range has no added preservatives nor MSG and it was on sale when I bought it)

shaved or grated parmesan cheese to serve

400g ribbon pasta

1 brown onion, finely diced

Cook pasta in salted boiling water, according to instructions on the packet, until al dente.

In the meantime, heat a frying pan. When heated, add olive oil and onions and cook until they are lightly softened. Add pasta sauce and cook for 1 minute. Add seafood. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes or until seafood is cooked through, and the sauce has come to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dish the sauce over cooked pasta on a plate. Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

If you want to use store-bought pasta sauce, make sure you read its food label for the sodium (salt) content and if any preservatives are added (check the ingredients list). Try as much as possible to go for those with no preservatives and lower sodium content. They do not necessarily cost a lot more than those that have preservatives.

Marinara Pasta with Cream Sauce

(See an improved version of this recipe here)

As I mentioned before, I have quite some cream available, bought at cheap price. Cooked cream chicken casserole yesterday and today's menu is cream marinara pasta.

I buy raw marinara mix from Woolies whenever they are on sale. I'd pay at most A$10/kg. Having said that, the marinara mix at Coles is lesser in quantity but definitely more pumped on their mix of seafood. The size of each piece of salmon, basa, mussels, prawn, squid, etc is larger but they are generally more expensive. For the same price you may pay, you get lesser number of pieces of seafood but bigger pieces. I am happy enough having my Woolies version. 500g feeds about 4 people.

My own made-up recipe

500g marinara mix

1 handful or more of frozen peas

5-6 button mushrooms, sliced

400ml thickened cream (use the light version if you prefer)

1/3 cup white wine or chicken stock

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

300g angel's hair pasta (or any ribbon pasta you like)

dash of dried parsley (or fresh parsley if you have)

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese (Coles brand along dried pasta section, about A$1.73 for a 100g pack)

Cook pasta as per packet instructions.

In the meantime, heat up fry pan. When it is hot, add olive oil and garlic. Add mushrooms and peas and cook for 1 minute. Add wine/stock and cream and cook for another minute, stirring. Add seafood and dried parsley. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until seafood is cooked and let sauce come to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over cooked pasta on a plate. Top with 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese (and a dash of lemon juice if you like).

Tonight, I also prepared some microwaved zucchini and carrots as sides (did not add any salt nor seasoning) and a couple of fresh cherry tomatoes from our garden ;)

Tropical (Summer) Prawn Salad

Found this simple recipe on Coles Summer magazine. I tried a slightly different version of it when we had some guests over for dinner on Saturday.

Stir-Fried Beans with Prawns

I had some beans from my MIL's garden.... and had to think of a dish to cook it up. I cut up some carrots (length-wise) and had some prawns to use as well....