A walk on the beach is a fun way to collect some of the ingredients for this chowder. But with any shellfish foraging, make sure you have a valid saltwater license and check for any shellfish harvesting closures. 

When browsing the shoreline at low tide for mussels, don't forget to check the mossy bluffs for nodding onion, a fantastic addition to the soup—and the added scavenger hunt is fun for the whole family. I also like to find varnish clams as they are an invasive species, and what better way to try and manage them than to eat them! And if you’re foraging clams, research how to purge them properly so you don't get sand and grit in your chowder.

I tend to make my own fish broth using bones from the fish we catch and fillet, but store bought stock or clam nectar will work just as well. (I use a combo of chicken stock and fish stock, but a recipe is just a guideline—your job as the cook is to add personal flair to make it your own!)

Instead of using all 4 bay leaves, try using 2 bay leaves and 2 salal leaves for more flavours from the wild. Also, if the recipe is not as thick as you would like, make a roux off to the side: combine equal parts melted butter and flour in a hot pan until it has the consistency of wet sand, and cook for 1–2 min. Then whisk it into the chowder one tablespoon at a time before adding fish until it is as thick as you would like. 

Ingredients

⅓ cup butter 
1 cup diced celery 
1 cup rinsed and thinly sliced leeks  
½ cup diced white onion
¼ cup diced fennel 
½ cup sliced nodding onion (plus 1 Tbsp thinly sliced for topping)
3 Tbsp minced or crushed garlic 
⅓ cup flour 
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1½ cups fish stock
1½ cups chicken stock
¼ cup 40 Knots Winery Uncloaked Chardonnay
5 baby potatoes, diced in ½-inch cubes 
¾ cup carrots diced
4 bay leaves (or salal leaves)
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning 
1 lb mussels, in the shell 
1 dozen shucked oysters 
1 lb of clams steamed and removed from shell 
1 lb spot prawns 
1½ lbs any local fish cut into cubes 
½ cup corn cut off the cob 
2 litres half and half cream
1 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste 
Vancouver Island flake salt for finishing 
fresh fennel frond or dill for garnish

Method 

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, melt butter on medium–high heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, fennel, leeks, and saute until vegetables have softened. Add garlic and nodding onion, then cook for a couple more minutes, while stirring, until softened. Add flour and fresh thyme and stir to completely mix; it should combine fully with the butter.

Deglaze pan with your white wine and cook for 1–2 minutes—it should thicken considerably.

Add your stock, bay/salal leaves, potato, Old Bay spice, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 10–15 minutes, until potato has softened.

In a separate pan, steam mussels and clams with a splash of white wine until they open, making sure to reserve all the liquid. Discard any that do not fully open.

Once potatoes are soft, add steamed mussels and clams and the liquid to the pot. 

Add cream and bring up to a simmer for another 5–10 min. Adjust seasoning to taste. A squeeze of lemon is never a bad idea for some acidity.

When ready to serve, add all cubed fish and prawns to simmer for only a couple of minutes (they cook fast).

Once seafood has simmered for a couple of minutes, pour into a bowl and garnish with flake salt, fennel fronds, and some sautéed sliced leeks. 

Serve with some toasted bread to get every last bit out of the bowl! In the spring, the nodding onions have beautiful flowers to use for a garnish! 

Optional Addition:

Dill oil/fennel oil

Blanch fresh herbs for 30 seconds in boiling water, then transfer immediately to an ice bath until cool to keep colours vibrant. Then squeeze out all the water you can and place in a blender with 1½ cups of neutral oil.

Blend very well. Pour through a coffee filter and let drip naturally so it doesn't become cloudy.

Drizzle to add flavour, texture and colour to the chowder or any other dish!