This week on 30 minutes or less we are going to take a look at Scallop and Bacon Chowder. If you are wondering, yes, we have done a chowder here before. We did Corn Chowder in 30 Minutes or Less way back in April of last year. Since that was almost a full year ago I thought it was safe to do another one.
The chowder today is composed of bacon, onion, celery, and scallops with cream and clam juice thickened with a roux making up the base. It was absolutely delicious and I recommend it to anyone who wants to feel a bit of comfort and a bit of normalcy right now. Let's get to it.
This is...
12:15 pm - Getting Started
I started cooking at 12:15 pm. The first thing I did was turn a pot on over medium-high heat. Next up, I patted the scallops dry with a paper towel to ensure a nice even sear. With the scallops dried I pulled the adductor muscle discarded it. I put the scallop on a dry piece of paper towel just to make sure their surface was really dry.
12:17 pm - Scallops In the Pan
With the scallops dry, and adductor muscles removed, it was time to cook. I seasoned the scallops with salt and pepper, added a bit of oil into my pot and added in the scallops leaving them alone for about two minutes.
12:20 - Bacon
In the two minutes that the scallops were cooking on the first side, I cut two pieces of bacon into finger-width pieces. I flipped the scallops and cooked them for one more minute.
12:21 - Cook the Bacon
Once the scallops had seared on both sides I removed them from the pan and added in the bacon. While the bacon was cooking, I minced a celery stalk and half an onion.
12:24 pm - Vegetables In
After a few minutes, the bacon was mostly cooked so I added in the celery and onion. Then, I moved on to peeling and dicing two potatoes.
12:26 - Roux
I cooked the celery and onion for about two minutes before adding in two tablespoons each of butter, and flour. The better went in first was left to melt, and then I stirred in the flour. This made a roux which thickens the chowder.
12:28 pm - Clam Juice
With the flour and butter combined it was time to add in some liquid. I chose to use clam juice to give the chowder a more seafood forward flavour. You can use water or even chicken stock if you would prefer. I added the clam juice in and gave everything a stir and let the mixture come to a boil.
12:30 pm - Potatoes In
Once the clam juice started to boil, I added in the diced potato, brought the liquid back to the boil, then turned the heat down to a simmer. I let the chowder base cook for about ten minutes or until the vegetables were tender.
12:31 pm - Parsley
While the chowder was cooking I took the opportunity to cut some fresh parsley.
12:34 pm - Cut Scallops
I also cut my scallops into quarters to stretch them a little bit further in the chowder.
12:40 pm - Cream in
After the chowder base had been cooking for about ten minutes and the vegetables were cooked through I added in the cream and brought it back to a boil tasted it and adjusted the seasoning with salt and pepper.
12:42 pm - Finish the chowder
Once the cream was boiling and the seasoning was where I wanted it, I added in the scallops and the parsley, took the pot off the heat, and served.
Conclusion
The world is obviously a little crazy at the moment. We are social distancing, and self-isolating, and preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. It can be a bit scary, and it can feel a bit lonely. A dish like this isn't going to cure anything, but it will for at least a few minutes make you feel like everything is okay.
Good luck everyone and stay safe.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Sea Scallops
- 3 Strips of Diced Bacon
- ½ cup Diced Celery
- ½ cup Diced Onion
- 1-2 tablespoon Chopped Parsley
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon Flour
- 236 ml Bottle Clam Juice
- 2 Cups Water or Chicken or Fish stock
- 500 ml Whipping Cream
- 1 ½ cup Small Diced Potatoes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium-high heat, then add in the oil.
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel, remove the foot, season with salt and pepper, and sear on both sides in the hot oil.
- Remove the scallops from the pot and on to a plate.
- Drain any excess oil out of the pot and add in the bacon, cook until crisp.
- Once again drain off the oil, but this time leave about 2 tablespoon in the pot. If there is not 2 tablespoon of oil, add in the butter.
- Add the celery and onion into the pot along with the bacon and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoon of butter into the pot along with the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute then sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine.
- Once the flour is fully incorporated, add in the clam juice. Cook until thick then add in the water and potatoes.
- Bring the pot to a boil and cook until the vegetables are cooked through about 10 minutes.
- Add the cream into the pot.
- Cut the scallops into quarters and add them into the pot along with the parsley.
- Taste the chowder, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with crackers or biscuits.
Kathy Martin says
Thank you again for the recipe. I made this tonight on the cloudy night in Cape Breton. It was perfect if I do say so my self. I didn’t have parsley so I put green onion on top as a garnish! Absolutely delicious!
Chef Ben Kelly says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It would be great with the green onions on it.