Annabel Lee's Kingdom by the Sea Seafood Chowder

This is great chowder to serve to guests when you want the ease of preparation the day before, but BIG flavor and impressive presentation the night of your gathering.  Seriously, how can you go wrong with fish, scallops, heavy cream and LOBSTER??

¾ cup butter, divided (divide into: ½ cup, ¼ cup)

2 medium onions, diced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups seafood stock

1 lb. cooked lobster, chopped into bite sized pieces – fresh or frozen

1 T. dried basil

1 T. oregano

1 T. celery salt

2 T. paprika

½ teaspoon pepper

three dashes Tabasco sauce

½ lb. haddock*

½ lb. cod*

½ lb. scallops – fresh or frozen, no need to defrost

2 cups heavy cream (35% milk fat)

* you could use just haddock or cod if you don’t want to use both – use a pound of whichever you choose.  I used all cod.

In a large Dutch oven, melt ½ cup butter and then sauté the onions, carrots and celery over medium heat, just until they begin to soften, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the potato and seafood stock. Stir to combine and then cook until the potato is just barely tender, 8-10 minutes.

As the potato is cooking, melt the remaining ¼ cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat and then add the lobster pieces to the skillet. Cook the lobster until the butter has taken on an orangey-red color from the lobster, and the lobster has heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. If you are using pre-cooked lobster, just heat through, 2 – 3 minutes.

Add the basil, oregano, celery salt, paprika, pepper and Tabasco sauce to the vegetables in the Dutch oven and stir to combine. It will seem like a lot of spices, don’t worry. Layer the fish and scallops on top. Gently press the fish down so it is just covered with liquid. Cook only until fish barely flakes, 4-5 minutes.

Add the lobster and every last drop of butter from the skillet to the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to low. Add the heavy cream.

Allow the chowder to warm through. Keep on low heat until serving or refrigerate and slowly heat up before serving. Don’t allow to boil.

I made this the day before the party and placed it from the refrigerator straight onto the stove on LOW heat.  Stir it every five minutes or so.  It took about 40 minutes for it to heat through.  Once again a reminder, do not BOIL.  When the steam begins to rise from the pot, you’re getting very close to your serving temperature.

Adapted from a recipe posted by Cravings of a Lunatic.