From an island craftswoman comes a seafood chowder I call “finest kind,” as we say around here in Maine.

Island Seafood Chowder
Karyl Bannister, Cook & Tell

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pound mussels, debearded and scrubbed
2 large onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
¼ pound haddock fillet
¼ pound salmon fillet
¼ pound scallops
½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 carrot, peeled and grated
4 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the potatoes in a medium saucepan of boiling water until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Put the mussels, half the onions, ½ cup of the celery, garlic, bay leaves, and 1 cup water in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the mussels open. Remove the mussels and pick out the meat; discard the shells and any unopened mussels. You should have about ¾ cup mussels. Strain the stock, discard the solids, and return the stock to the pot over medium-low heat.

Add the haddock, salmon, and scallops and simmer until opaque, about 8 minutes. Add the shrimp for the last few minutes of cooking (2 minutes for small Maine shrimp). Strain, set aside the seafood, and reserve the stock. You should have about 2 cups seafood. Rinse out the pot.

Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat and sauté the remaining onions and remaining ½ cup celery until the onions are limp and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the carrot and whisk in the reserved stock and the milk. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the carrot is tender. Add the cooked seafood and potatoes. Gently break up the fish as it heats through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers.

Serves 10-12.

Karyl Bannister writes and illustrates the newsletter Cook & Tell, published ten times a year.