All About Trout

Smoked Trout and Sweet Potato Cheddar Chowder

Josh did not have a lot of luck catching sturgeon this season. For the past few months he would go out to the river with high hopes of bringing home some for dinner, but time after time he came back disappointed and empty-handed. Last week, however, he switched his attention to trout and his luck (and ours) changed completely. He decided to smoke his cooler full of trout after a simple brown-sugar and salt brine bath. It was my job to whip together a tasty dinner. Since Josh never got to taste "Josh Steele's Slammin' Salmon Chowder," I figured a new chowder recipe was the perfect destiny for all of that sweet and smoky fish.

Ingredients
- 3 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and chopped (white and light green parts only)
- 4 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 c. dry sherry
- 1 qt. vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp. Sriracha or other hot sauce
- 5 c. heavy cream
- 1 bunch parsley trimmed and chopped
- 2 c. grated sharp white cheddar cheese
- 2-3 c. flaked smoked trout or salmon

Melt butter with olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper, sherry, and jalapeno pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetable broth, sweet potato, bay leaves, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked.

Uncover soup, remove bay leaves and add cream, grated cheese, parsley, and smoked trout. Stir over medium-low heat until cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve with bread for dipping!

Josh Steele's Slammin' Salmon Chowder

When avid fisherman and all-around hilarious guy, Josh Steele, brought home a bounty of delicious salmon from a recent trip, he had the good sense to break out his fish smoker and make some magic. Seriously . . . delicious! And there was so much of it. A huge bag of flaky, salty-sweet salmon. "Liz, do you think you can do something with this?" Yes . . . yes I can. No real drawback here, just the opportunity to whip up something new and tasty. October weather calls for big steamy bowls of chowder with warm crusty bread for dipping. It's a natural fit. Thanks Josh for this inspiration here. Your salmon rules! Bring back more please!

Ingredients
- 2-3 c. smoked salmon, flaked into bite-sized chunks
- 6 ears sweet white corn, kernels removed from cobs
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks of celery, trimmed and diced
- 2 small red potatoes, diced
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 tsp. dried dill
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 handful chopped Italian parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 qt. half and half
- 2 Tbsp. butter.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally over medium until onion becomes fragrant and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add celery, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers. Cook until peppers begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add corn, potatoes, bay leaves, and 1 c. water. Stir and combine ingredients. Cover and simmer about 5-7 minutes for potatoes to soften. Add salmon, tomatoes, pepper flakes, dill, parsley, and half and half. Watch the pot for the half and half to begin to bubble around the edges. Lower the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, remove bay leaves, and serve with warm crusty bread and butter.