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.
Jump to:
- Getting Started: Preparing the Scallops
- Searing the Scallops
- Cutting and Cooking the Bacon
- Rendering the Bacon and Prepping Vegetables
- Adding the Vegetables
- Making the Roux
- Adding the Clam Juice
- Adding the Potatoes and Simmering
- Preparing the Parsley
- Cutting the Scallops
- Adding the Cream
- Finishing the Chowder
- Conclusion
- Recipe
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. If you want to learn more about what makes a great chowder or soup in general, have a look at my guide to understanding soup. Let's get to it.
Getting Started: Preparing the Scallops
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 and discarded it. I put the scallops on a dry piece of paper towel just to make sure their surface was really dry. For more tips on working with shellfish, check out my post on everything I know about seafood chowder.
Searing the Scallops
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.
Cutting and Cooking the 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.
Rendering the Bacon and Prepping Vegetables
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.
Adding the Vegetables
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.
Making the Roux
I cooked the celery and onion for about two minutes before adding in two tablespoons each of butter and flour. The butter went in first, was left to melt, and then I stirred in the flour. This made a roux which thickens the chowder.
Adding the 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.
Adding the Potatoes and Simmering
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.
Preparing the Parsley
While the chowder was cooking I took the opportunity to cut some fresh parsley.
Cutting the Scallops
I also cut my scallops into quarters to stretch them a little bit further in the chowder.
Adding the Cream
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.
Finishing 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
This scallop and bacon chowder is the kind of meal that wraps you in comfort -- rich, creamy, and deeply flavourful, all in under 30 minutes. It's one of those dishes I come back to whenever I want something that feels special without a lot of fuss.
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.