Bahamian Seafood Chowder

The world has gone mad...at least that's how is seems today at the end of March 2020. It feels like the world we knew a few weeks ago has disappeared into a socially distant place that feels like we are part of a sci-fi movie. I'm out of work right now, as many people are, and the only thing I can offer to my fellow foodies and friends, is food!

Taking some time right now to count our blessings and appreciate the things we have, seems like a good idea. I am blessed to have a wonderful and supportive family, loving friends and a roof over my head. My passions are food and travel, and obviously I'm not able to travel right now, so food is where I can focus my energy. I'd like to share with you, a recipe from one of my most cherished memories with my late partner. Although he is gone, I still have the beautiful memories we made, traveling the world together. And so now...Let me take you on a virtual trip to the Bahamas.

And...I hope you all will find things to cherish and appreciate in this very difficult time for all of us.

Our trip to the Bahamas started out on a remote island in the chain of islands called the Exumas. There are 365 islands (also called Cays) in this incredible chain. Exuma was our first stop and is covered in the most glorious and deserted beaches I've ever seen. Powder white sand and crystal blue water is everywhere you turn.

Here we are at the pool bar of the Grand Isle Resort having our first Bahamian welcome drink!

We stayed for several days at the Grand Isle Resort and had a beautiful suite that included a bedroom, kitchen and living room.... and an ocean view balcony, of course! However, the stunning beaches kept us away from our room, most of the time! The first beach we searched out was called Tropic of Cancer. This heaven on earth is a little bit of a drive (40 minutes or so), down the only highway (I call it a road), across a bridge to Little Exuma Island and then a little searching for a break in the roadside foliage. Have no fear, the journey is well worth the magnificent reward. As you all know, I've been to a few gorgeous beaches in my day, but this picturesque jewel, is really something to behold. Warm azure seas and the softest talcum powder sand greeted us as we stepped over the pine covered dunes.

We meant to spend an hour or two here, but ended up staying all day! We also had the entire expanse of beach to ourselves! We couldn't extract ourselves from this incredible perfection. As the sun began to sink behind us and our stomachs complained of their emptiness, we sadly tore ourselves from our new found paradise.

I had read about a sunset view restaurant, that was on our way back to the resort, called Catch a Fire and so we begrudgingly left our little piece of heaven to find sustenance.

Just to be clear, nothing on this Island is actually easy to get to, as there is one main road and all things good and beautiful are not on this road, but off of this road and onto unpaved dirt "roads". You get my meaning here? ok good... So we finally found this restaurant and were rewarded with a sunset that did "catch a fire", along with some delicious seafood. A glorious end to a perfect day.

The next day we rented a small boat from Minns Water Sports, in the "big city" of Georgetown, and set out to explore the surrounding bays and inlets of Elizabeth Harbor. We had a beautiful day on the water and found sea turtles, more deserted white sand beaches and a thunder storm! I highly recommend seeing the island by boat, whether you have someone else as your captain or you attempt to navigate the waters yourself.

A few days on Exuma wasn't enough, but we had to get going to Eleuthera! Another gorgeous Bahamian Island, just a short flight away.

There are so many amazing things to see on this island, including more incredible beaches, fun restaurants and beautiful resorts. We stayed at The Cove

and really didn't want to leave! This resort is situated on two side by side coves with modern bungalows. We did venture out to check out some beaches and also had the "best day of our lives". We booked a tour with Eleuthera Tours and Kristel and Donald did not disappoint! This was a day that we could have only dreamed of! We drove south to the Cape Eleuthera Marina and caught a ride with our captain, Donald.

He took us out to a tiny island called Schooner Cay and set up beach chairs, a picnic table and a BBQ lunch for us and left us there for the day...heaven! I'm just going to say that this was an experience that can not be rivaled. Your own private island for the day? With fresh grilled seafood and Caribbean cocktails...a white sand beach with warm turquoise waters, all to yourselves...It really was the best day!

Our little slice of heaven!

Donald set up the grill for us and when we were hungry, we just had to light the coals and cook our fresh seafood lunch. For some reason, it was one of the best meals we had on our trip! Maybe the VERY STRONG rum punch that was provided, just might have slightly swayed our taste buds, just a smidgen...but I doubt it! That lunch was delectable!

Ready for lunch! Donald sets a colorful table...

Endless sandbar from our island...

Ok...so, there are so many incredible pictures and memories from this trip, I could go on and on...oh sorry! I guess I did! Anyway...I know you want to get to the yummy seafood chowder! So here you go!

First, cut up the carrot, green onion, celery and sweet potatoes. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a soup pot and saute the veggies over medium heat until just starting to soften. Remove the veggies from the pot and set aside.

Wipe out the pot and melt one tablespoon of butter. Mix in the flour or xanthum gum and whisk until smooth.

Let the roux cook until it turns a caramel color,stirring frequently, about ten minutes or so.

The roux will flavor and also thicken the soup. You can see that my mixture is very liquid and that's how it looks when you use the xanthum gum. If you use flour, it will be more like a thick paste. Keep stirring the mixture until it starts to turn a caramel color. Now, add in the cream, coconut milk, fish stock (or clam juice) and ginger and stir to combine. Next add in the veggies and bring this all to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, to combine the flavors and thicken the chowder. This will also cook the veggies until they are tender.

After the soup has simmered and thickened, add in the seafood and let it cook for a few minutes until opaque and cooked through. I used a mixture of scallops, calamari, shrimp and clams, but you can use any seafood you like or just use clams and make it a clam chowder.

When the seafood is cooked through, serve this yummy soup and garnish with fresh cilantro! Its creamy and flavorful and will transport you to the sunny shores of the Bahamas!

COCONUT SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound seafood – clams, shrimp, scallops, calamari, white fish (choose one or all options)

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 1 carrot, peeled and diced

• 1 celery stock, diced

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 14 oz can coconut milk

• 1 cup fish stock or clam juice

• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced

• ½ teaspoon hot sauce – or to taste

• Salt and pepper - to taste

• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (reserve some for garnish)

• For roux:

• 1 tablespoon flour or ½ teaspoon Xanthum gum (for low carb diets)

• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in pot and add vegetables. Sauté the veggies for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to a bowl and keep aside to add later.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Let the butter melt and add in the flour or Xanthum gum. Turn the temperature down to medium and let the mixture cook, stirring constantly, until the roux turns a dark golden brown. If you are using Xanthum gum, the mixture will be very liquid. If using flour, it will be more like a paste. This step should take about 10 minutes or so. Once the roux is colored, add the cooked veggies, cream, coconut milk, fish stock, ginger (and clams, if you are using them). Let this come to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened to chowder consistency.

When the chowder base has thickened, add in the seafood, cilantro and hot sauce and cook for several minutes until the seafood is cooked through and opaque. Serve and garnish with chopped cilantro.