Eat Voraciously: Fruits of the sea ~ INFO IMAGES

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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Fruits of the sea

The other day, while scrolling through social media, a chef I admire posted a photo of sea urchins, still in their spiky shells. "One might think that winter has less to offer than spring or summer but look at how much the ocean has to offer when the waters are colder," Marie Aude-Rose wrote in the caption. It reminded me of the ocean's fragility, and relative, precarious, bounty.

Tonight then, let's celebrate the ocean's waters with a seafood chowder that takes 25 minutes, start to finish. It can be adapted to use your favorite in-season shellfish or almost any kind of local fish.

Today's recipe

Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Amanda Soto/The Washington Post

Seafood Chowder

After adding the shrimp, the cooking time may vary, depending on the size of the shrimp. Look for them to be pink, curled and opaque inside. If you like, use chunks of cod, halibut and/or salmon in place of or in addition to the shrimp.

I rarely buy shrimp >> so I'd use cod here. Oysters, mussels and clams would be great in this soup, too.
If you want to omit the bacon >> use a plant-based substitute and/or add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Don't care for thyme? >> Try parsley, marjoram or oregano.

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Servings: 4 to 6
Total time: 25 mins

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium white or yellow onion (about 8 ounces) cut into small dice
1 medium carrot, well-scrubbed and coarsely grated
1 rib celery, cut into small dice
1 strip uncooked bacon, chopped
2 1/2 cups low-fat or whole milk
2 1/2 cups fish stock or vegetable broth
1 russet potato, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 15 ounces total)
Pinch finely chopped thyme leaves (may substitute dried thyme)
8 ounces frozen, peeled and deveined uncooked medium shrimp (41-50 count) (see headnote)
Fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery and bacon and cook until the vegetables are tender, the onion is translucent and the bacon starts to sizzle, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the milk and the fish stock or vegetable broth, stirring to combine; increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add the potato and thyme, stirring to combine; cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until the potato is tender.

3. Add the shrimp and bring back to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink, curled and opaque when sliced. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

From Mitchell Davis, author of "Kitchen Sense" (Clarkson Potter, 2006). Tested by Mitchell Davis.

Nutrition information per serving (based on 6): Calories: 190; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 78 mg; Sodium: 366 mg; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: n/a g; Protein: 15 g.