Recipe: Smoked Haddock & Celeriac Chowder

This classic warming, filling soup is just the job for a winter evening (or pandemic outdoor lunch), served with good crusty bread and maybe even a soft-poached egg perched on each bowl.

If you’re not sure where to start with a celeriac, check out the tips beneath the method for how to prep it up.

Recipe by Iona Ralph

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 teaspoon butter
2 white onions, finely sliced
½ celeriac, peeled and diced
500g floury potatoes (e.g. Maris Piper), diced, no need to peel
650ml vegetable stock
500g undyed smoked haddock
1 bay leaf
300ml whole milk
300g sweetcorn
6 spring onions, thickly sliced at an angle
20g fresh parsley, chopped
Black pepper

Method

1.      Melt the butter with a drop of oil in a large saucepan with a lid, then sweat the onions for about 8 minutes until soft and translucent.

2.      Add in the diced celeriac and potato and the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

3.      Place in the fish (chop it into big chunks to fit) with the bay leaf and cover with the milk - you might not need it all at this point. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Remove the fish to a plate with a slotted spoon, taking off the skin if necessary.

4.      Add the sweetcorn to the soup, topping up with a bit more milk if needed, then simmer gently for 2-3 mins. Add the spring onions and turn off the heat. Check the seasoning and tip in the parsley.

5.      Break the fish up between bowls and ladle the hot chowder over the top. Enjoy!

Prepping Celeriac
At first sight the celeriac can look an intimidating vegetable, all gnarled and fibrous, but it’s really a simple matter of getting rid of that tough exterior to use the firm, snowy root inside.

Give it a good scrub, then I like to have at it with a potato peeler, getting rid of the outer layer of skin until you have an almost smooth white surface. There will probably be some tangles left at the root end, so just cut those off with a kitchen knife and you’re good to go: cut into chunks to boil for mash; into matchsticks or grated for a creamy remoulade; into slices for a tart or dauphinoise or fingers to roast.