Irish fish chowder with soda bread recipe

This warming Irish fish chowder is full of flavour and goes well with our soda bread, which is so easy to make.

This is an incredibly easy dish to make but so rewarding and a real comfort food. We have used smoked haddock, salmon fillet and king prawns but if you are on a budget or finding the fish difficult to get hold of then you can use any white fish (we recommend that it has been sustainably sourced).

Soda bread is one of the easiest breads to make and doesn’t require any yeast. If you can’t get hold of any buttermilk you can put a tbsp. of lemon juice (about half a lemon, squeezed) in to 200ml of milk and it will sour slightly.

Looking for how to make your own bread? Try out our recipe for sourdough bread for something a little different.

Ingredients

For the soda bread:

• 250g wholemeal plain flour
• 30g rolled oats (optional)
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200ml buttermilk
• 11⁄2tsp honey
• 1-2tsp milk (optional)

For the fish chowder:

• 100g potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 175g smoked haddock
• 175g salmon fillet
• 450ml milk
• 30g butter
• 1 leek, halved and finely sliced
• 2 carrots, halved lengthways and finely sliced
• 150g raw king prawns, de-headed and peeled

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. For the soda bread, put the flour, rolled oats, the bicarb and 1tsp salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk and honey. Mix until all combined. If it seems too dry, you can add 1-2tsp milk. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Form into a ball-like shape, place on a floured baking tray and bake for 25-30 mins until cooked. Test by tapping the bottom – it should sound hollow.
2. Meanwhile, make the chowder: bring a pan of water to the boil, put the potatoes in and boil for 10 mins or until cooked. Drain and leave to one side.
3. In a separate pan, place the fish in the milk. Bring to the boil and turn down to a low simmer. Poach the fish until it is just cooked. Drain the fish, reserving the milk for later.
4. In a frying pan, melt the butter and fry the leek for 2 mins before adding the carrots and cooking both until softened. Add the cooked potato and break up with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour in the poaching milk and cook gently for 10 mins.
5. Flake in the cooked fish and add the prawns. Cook gently for a few mins until the prawns are cooked through. Serve with the soda bread and some butter.