seafood chowder and lamb shank

The Freeman

hey guys i have a bit of a dillema, well not a dilemma i was hoping for a bit of advice, or more what works for ye guys making a nice chowder or lamb shank, am cooking for 4 this evening and was feeling adventerous so went to the seafood docks shop and picked up 2 big nice bags of mixed seafood suitable for a chowder, only thing is i'm not sure how to make it, now i have come accross a few recipes on google but i am a coeliac and lactose intollerant also, so put a spanner in to the works, all recipes that i have read use cream to thicken it, as an alternative i was thinking coconut milk?

also need an alternative to chicken stock?(not sure that chcien stock is imperative but saw it in a few most recipes i had a glance at)

now the main course...


gonna pop in to aldi on the way home from work and pick up some lamb shanks, not sure what the best way to cook them and with what herbs etc and for how long also

also could you reccomend a nice sauce als


all this talk is making me hungry already

The Hill Billy

There's no need to add cream to a chowder to thicken it. You could easily do this by adding potato early in the cooking process so that it boils down & thickens it. I can't imagine that cream would really thicken anyway - it would just make it somewhat richer. As with any recipe - adapt it to suit your own preferences.

As for the lamb shanks - they are particularly nice braised. Cooking them nice & slowly over a long time while keeping them moist makes them lovely & tender.

Just a suggestion, but you could sprinkle them with a mix of ground cumin, coriander, chili, cinnamon & cloves.
Brown them off in a pan & then braise in chicken/vegetable/lamb stock for a couple of hours along with some carrots, peppers, whatever takes your fancy. (Add more of the spice mix to the stock for extra flavour.) Serve with cous cous (if your coeliac intolerance allows).

Best of luck!

The Freeman

is this a good recipe for a chowder lads do ya think?

The Recipe


1/2 lb of EACH: Scallops, Clams, Shrimp, Lobster or Crab*
3 onions, diced
4 cups potatoes, cubed
1 can evaporated milk
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cups milk
1/2 pound butter
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp savory
1 bay leaf

Cook onions, potatoes and celery, on low, in just enough water to cover, until almost done (about 10 -15 minutes).

Add seafood and cook unitl done. Add butter, salt, pepper, savory, bay leaf and milk.

Heat without boiling. Sprinkle with paprika.

Optional - add 1 or 2 strips of cooked and crumbly bacon.


any advice appreciated

olaola

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/langoustineandmussel_71904.shtml

Saw Rick Stein do this the other night... looked YUM!

Minder

Braised lamb shanks

Trim the lamb shanks of fat, season and pan fry to add colour.
In a casserole, fry a diced onion, garlic, celery stick and carrot until soft.
Add chopped rosemary and a little dried chilli flakes.
Add the meat and a 400g tin of tomatoes, blitzed.
Add a 1/2 litre of water, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
Alternatively, put it in the oven, covered for 1 hour at 180 degrees.
After 1 hour, take from the oven and uncover.
Add 400g of flageolet, or cannelini beans.
Back in the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Serve with crushed spuds or mash and gremolata.
For the gremolata use the zest of 1 lemon, a bunch or parsley and a couple of cloves of raw garlic. Chop finely and mix together. This is sprinkled over the dinner at the table. (If you are worried that the raw garlic is too strong, blanch the garlic cloves in boiling water for a couple of minutes).

Minder

The Freeman wrote:

is this a good recipe for a chowder lads do ya think?

The Recipe

1/2 lb of EACH: Scallops, Clams, Shrimp, Lobster or Crab*

I have a recipe from Dean & Deluca cookbook (Famous NY Deli) for New England chowder. They recommend cooking the clams in a mixture of water and milk - the liquid is then used to cook the chowder. This is important as all of the flavour is used in the soup. I wouldn't use coconut as an alternative to milk - too distinctive a flavour. Rather leave the milk out of the recipe altogether. Thicken with potato.

Also scallops and lobster would be wasted in a chowder. Clams or a smoked haddock are best. Don't use paprika, cayenne pepper is traditionally used to spice a chowder. Good paprika has a smokey flavour that will smother the taste of the fish.

Spoony2

The Freeman wrote:

is this a good recipe for a chowder lads do ya think?

The Recipe


1/2 lb of EACH: Scallops, Clams, Shrimp, Lobster or Crab*
3 onions, diced
4 cups potatoes, cubed
1 can evaporated milk
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cups milk
1/2 pound butter
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp savory
1 bay leaf

Cook onions, potatoes and celery, on low, in just enough water to cover, until almost done (about 10 -15 minutes).

Add seafood and cook unitl done. Add butter, salt, pepper, savory, bay leaf and milk.

Heat without boiling. Sprinkle with paprika.

Optional - add 1 or 2 strips of cooked and crumbly bacon.


any advice appreciated

its not bad but it'le cost a lot

remeber you have fish such as cod monk fish,red snapper john dory etc scolops are well i cant stand them there not the ncest of shel fish and pretty boreing i much pefer moules frits not cokke din restauranty i rather not eat soemthing thats swiming in its own crap