In a soup pot, sauté the onion in the butter over medium-high heat for about three minutes. Add the garlic, celery and carrot, and continue to sauté for an additional four minutes.
Canned Salmon Chowder
(Serves 4)
Canned salmon is an often overlooked, affordable and delicious ingredient that you can base your entire menu on, which makes it a great item to keep on hand in your pantry. A can of salmon averages around $5 for a 14-oz can, which creates four servings of whatever recipe you decide to make. Canned salmon offers all the flavor and health benefits of fresh or frozen salmon at a fraction of the cost.
In addition to being budget-friendly, salmon is always a healthy protein choice. A 4-ounce serving of canned salmon offers almost half of your daily protein (around 25 grams), is high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and is high in calcium, especially if you leave the bones in when making your recipe. A lot of people dislike the idea of leaving the bones in, but they add a lot of calcium and are not noticeable in your finished recipe. Salmon is also a good source of vitamin D, and is low in calories at 160 per 4 ounces.
- 2 Tb butter
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 6 cups chicken bouillon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 14-oz can salmon
- 4 medium potatoes, diced (enough for about 3 cups)
- Kernels cut from 1 ear fresh corn, or one cup frozen
- 1 medium zucchini, grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup fresh dill, stemmed and chopped, or 2 Tb dried
- 1 Tb dried thyme
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 3 Tb cornstarch
- ½ cup water
Add the chicken bouillon and the bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the can of salmon along with the broth that it’s packed in. Gently break the bigger chunks of salmon up with a spoon. Add the potatoes along with a pinch of salt, and allow to simmer for about ten minutes. Add the corn and the zucchini, the dill, and the thyme. Simmer for about six minutes until the zucchini is cooked. Add the cream and bring back to a high simmer.
In a small bowl or cup, mix the cornstarch and the water together to form a slurry, and then stir it into the soup and gently continue to stir for a couple of minutes. This will thicken the soup slightly for a nice texture. Remove the bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste.
