Main course British-inspired
Smoked haddock, leek and potato chowder
Meat & fish
Editorially prepared
A thick chowder with smoked haddock, soft leeks, potatoes and bacon. Milk and cream make a creamy base, thickened without flour by mashing some of the potatoes.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
For more servings, use a wider saucepan or two pans so the bacon fries rather than steams. A larger volume of liquid will take longer to heat; do not multiply the fish cooking time by the number of servings.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of cold-smoked haddock fillet requiring cooking, skinless and bonelessready-to-eat hot-smoked trout
Use the same prepared weight after removing the skin and every bone. Trout is richer and more delicate. Add it in large flakes to the finished creamy base and heat gently for about 2–3 minutes until hot throughout, rather than cooking it as raw haddock.
- Instead of lightly salted fish stockmild vegetable stock
Use the same volume in place of fish stock. Choose a lightly salted stock without a dominant celery or mushroom flavour; the soup will have a milder fish flavour.
Shopping for this recipe
Your list uses the selected servings and fridge. Stock quantities are unknown — check you have enough.
Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
heavy-based saucepan, approximately 4 litres · one hob ring · chopping board and sharp knife · scales and measuring jug · stirring spoon, fork and ladle · deep serving bowls
Method
0/7 stepsPrepare the ingredients
Measure the ingredients. Halve the leeks lengthways, rinse any grit from between the layers and cut into thin half-moons. Peel the potatoes and cut into roughly 1 cm cubes. Wash and chop the parsley. Dice the bacon, then wash the board, knife and your hands. Leave the fish in the fridge for now. Allow about 12 minutes for preparation.
Prepare the ingredients Fry the bacon
Melt the butter in the saucepan over a medium heat, add the bacon and fry, stirring regularly. Allow about 6 minutes from starting to heat the pan: the bacon should release its fat and turn lightly golden. If it is still pale, cook a little longer without letting the butter burn. Leave all the bacon and rendered fat in the pan.
06:00Fry the bacon Soften the leeks
Add the leeks and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 6 minutes from adding them, stirring frequently, until soft and slightly translucent but not brown. If they are still firm, cook for another 1–2 minutes; reduce the heat if they begin to colour.
06:00Soften the leeks Simmer the potatoes in the milky base
Add the potatoes, bay leaf, fish stock and milk. Heat, stirring along the bottom, until gentle bubbles appear; allow about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 12 minutes from reaching a gentle simmer. Keep the liquid barely bubbling, not boiling vigorously. Meanwhile, prepare the fish in the next step, and stir the soup along the bottom halfway through cooking. Before adding the fish, check the potatoes: a fork should slide easily into the centre. If they are firm, keep cooking and check every 2 minutes.
12:00Simmer the potatoes in the milky base Check and cut the haddock
While the potatoes simmer, take the haddock from the fridge and run your fingers over it to check for remaining bones. Remove any you find and cut the fillet into roughly 3 cm pieces. Wash your hands, knife and board. Allow about 5 minutes. Add the fish only once the potatoes pass the fork test.
Check and cut the haddock Thicken the soup and cook the fish
Once the potatoes are tender, crush roughly a quarter of the pieces against the side of the pan with a spoon and stir to thicken the soup. Add the cream and haddock, gently easing the fish beneath the liquid. Cook over a low heat for about 6 minutes from adding the fish, without a vigorous boil. Check the thickest piece: its centre should be opaque, very hot and easy to separate into flakes. If it is still translucent, cook for another 1–2 minutes and check again. Avoid breaking up all the pieces as you stir.
06:00Thicken the soup and cook the fish Season and serve
Take the pan off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Season with black pepper, taste and add salt only if needed. Stir in half the parsley, gently separating the largest pieces of cooked fish into large flakes. The soup should lightly coat a spoon but remain pourable. Ladle into deep bowls and scatter over the remaining parsley. Serve straight away.
Season and serve
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Tips
- Check haddock availability before buying the remaining ingredients, and read the packaging to confirm whether it needs cooking.
- Cut the potatoes evenly so small pieces do not fall apart while larger ones remain firm.
- Once the fish is added, stir gently from the bottom to preserve large, visible pieces.
- If the soup is too thick, add small splashes of hot water until it pours freely from a ladle but still lightly coats a spoon.
Storage
Store only soup in which the fish is fully cooked. Divide leftovers between shallow containers, cool quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Use within 48 hours. Reheat only once, stirring gently, until steaming hot throughout. The cooled soup can be frozen, although the dairy base may separate and the potatoes may soften after thawing. Defrost in the fridge.
Timing
Hands-on: 39 min · Cooking: 36 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
