Smoked Salmon and Leek Chowder

Like everyone else in the midwest, I cannot wait for summer.  The warmth, the longer days, grilling in the backyard, Summer Shandy - its long overdue. Summer also signals a change in my meal planning.  My winter staple of Sunday soup starts to fade. Who really wants chili in June?  But I can't give up soup completely.  Instead, I've found some summery soups that work for warmer weather. 

Smoked Salmon and Leek Chowder is rich and delicious, but the leek and dill flavors are light and fresh. It can easily be a meal by itself, but we paired it with "fancy" grilled cheese (Panera 3-cheese bread with smoked gouda). Seriously, this is an impressive soup, for your family or a dinner party. 

Copied from FineCooking.com:

Smoked Salmon and Leek Chowder

• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, and rinsed well (about 1 cup)
• 1 large rib celery, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 8-oz. bottles clam juice
• 3 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2-1/2 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 oz. hot-smoked salmon (see Test Kitchen piece on hot vs. coldsmoked salmon), skin and bones removed, flaked into bite-size pieces (about 1-1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
• Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and celery, and cook, stirring, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
• Slowly whisk in the milk and clam juice, and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and bay leaf, and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.
  Add the salmon, cream, dill, and lemon juice, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
  The hardest part of this recipe was locating the HOT-smoked salmon and the clam juice (both of which are available at Whole Foods). I know a lot of people who have never cooked with leeks. They have a wonderful flavor and are easy to cook. This recipe is a good introduction to their use. I also included photos in case you weren't sure what they looked like! 
  
  

  

  Cutting the leeks 

  
  

  

  Chopped veggies

  
  

  

  Delicious!