Established in 2015, The Breakfast Pig opened its doors at 265 Bruce Street in Sault Ste Marie on June 27, 2015. Now simply known as ‘The Pig’ to their faithful followers, they have become a Sault Ste Marie staple. She’s been part of the Feast On Certified family since 2018.
“This is a recipe that is near and dear to my heart and one I came up with because I could never waste an ounce of the gorgeous whitefish caught here in our community. I had tail ends and skins left and couldn’t imagine not using this entire fish. With the mild but wild taste of the whitefish paired with the luxuriousness of the butter and cream, this dish is a hit every time! Now, the good part! This soup is very simple and quick to put together and can be made up to two days in advance. You can also use dried dill and thyme if you don’t have fresh.”
Creamy Smoked Whitefish Chowder
- prep time: 15 min
- cook time: 1.5 hours
- serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Chowder Ingredients:
- 12 strips bacon, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
- 2 Spanish onions, finely chopped
- 4 whitefish fillets- skinned and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 bunch curly parsley, finely chopped
- 2 litres 10% cream
- 1/4 cup Ontario butter, salted
- 1 cup local dry white wine
- 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 2 tbsp dill
- 1 tbsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 4 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 2 lemons
- 1 tbsp Franks Red Hot (or other hot sauce), if desired
Fish Stock ingredients:
- 1 medium Spanish onion
- Parsley bunch stems (saved from parsley used in chowder below)
- Whitefish skins (from fillets used in chowder below). If using whole fish, add the heads and bones as well
- 10 cups cold water OR 10 cups chicken stock
INSTRUCTIONS
Fish Stock:
You’ll want to start by making a very simple fish stock OR you could use a chicken stock in place of it.
- To make the fish stock, simply add one onion cut in half, the stems of the parsley you will use in the recipe, and skins from your whitefish fillets. If you got your fish whole, add the heads and bones as well.
- Add these items to 10 cups of cold water and heat to a simmer for 30-45 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to come to a full boil and do not cook longer than 45 minutes.
- Strain and set aside. This should yield about 8 cups of stock.
Chowder:
- In a heavy bottomed pot, begin cooking your bacon on medium heat, stirring frequently and slowly rendering the fat. Brown the bacon, but do not crisp, cooking roughly 8-10 minutes. Remove bacon from the pot using a slotted spoon and reserve for later.
- Melt your butter on medium heat. Add in minced garlic and stir continuously until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in onions and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and white pepper. Cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add in white wine, dill and thyme. Allow wine to reduce by about half.
- Add potatoes, fish stock, paprika, salt and Old Bay seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
- Add in cream and season with a pinch of salt. I really believe in salting at every level, but feel free to cut back to the end if you prefer to add salt to taste. Add whitefish and return the bacon to the pot. Bring everything to a simmer and continue to stir, breaking up the pieces of whitefish.
- Finish with 1/2 of the fresh parsley, lemon juice and zest and hot sauce (if desired). Plate and garnish with remaining parsley and enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
