Halibut and Potato Chowder

This morning we awoke to a hearty layer of frost on the ground. It was a beautiful sun-lit morning that beckoned me to go for a walk. I bundled the boys up in their fleece buntings and put them in the baby jogger. They fell asleep five minutes into the walk which left me time to daydream as I pushed the heavy jogger up and down the hills.
And where do you think my mind would wander to but food! It is not that I was hungry, we had all just been happily satisfied with a big batch of buckwheat pancakes. This was a new recipe I was dreaming up. Since buckwheat was fresh on my mind, I began to put together a recipe for buckwheat bread. Buckwheat has such a great nutrient profile, is alkalizing to the body, and research has shown that it is beneficial for balancing both blood sugar and cholesterol. It also has such a lovely texture, much different than other gluten-free flours. It is soft and stringy when mixed with water. I wondered how it would work as the base for a yeast bread. Cinnamon would be a nice addition, and how about pecans and raisins. Mmm. I had all of the amounts carefully planned out in my mind by the time we got back.
But first I had to make sure I had the chowder started. This is a recipe I created a few weeks ago. I have had a few requests for it recently so I thought I would post it for everyone to enjoy. I went to the co-op yesterday to do some shopping and saw some beautiful, fresh wild Alaskan halibut so I bought about 1 ½ pounds. If you don't have a sharp knife, or don't like to mess with taking the skin off of fish, it is best to have them do it when you are purchasing it. I removed the skin myself today, though sometimes I have it done.
After our chowder was done we sat out in the warm November sun, something rather unusual for the Pacific Northwest, and ate our chowder. Gracie was too busy playing to eat much, part of not sitting at the table for lunch. A 3-year old can't really focus when there is so much to do and see outside! Then the bread was done and it was time to put the babies in the bath. All that crawling around in the mud had made them into little dirt balls! When I brought them upstairs Tom was in his office working and said to me "what are you cooking that smells so good?" It was the bread of course. A warm, yeasty, cinnamon smell wafting through the house. Who needs aromatherapy when you have bread?

About the Author
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 1,800 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Beautiful chowder! Made it last night and we loved it. Thanks for sharing!
This just might be my new favorite winter soup... can't wait to try the bread!
This has become one of my new favorite recipes, thank you! I make it with the marinated mahi-mahi from Trader Joe's and it is wonderful!
I made this chowder this weekend.
My husband and little ones loved eating this after playing in the snow! Thank you!
Marisa
Bend OR
Beautiful soup and bread. Rob made the buckwheat pancakes from your book last weekend. He used your tip to substitute the egg with flaxseeds ground with boiling water. They were perfect - achieving the best texture for egg-free pancakes ever. Gotta love the buckwheat... I'd forgotten how alkalinizing buckwheat is. I think those pancakes will be our Sunday morning tradition. Love - April
HI Ali,
Oh, yum. It has been cold and wintery here with snow flurries the past couple of days and your bread and chowder sound terrific for these cold days.
I too love making chowder or soup with fresh veggies and wild fish. I like adding coconut milk to mine to make a even creamier.
Your bread too sounds wonderful. I didn't know you could grind your own flours in a vita mixer. I was thinking about getting a grain mill but would love to get a vita mixer. So that is great to know.
Also, I didn't know buckwheat doesn't need xanthan or guar gum. Great to know.
I made potato bread last night with rosemary. Needed a bit more rosemary but it was delicious.
thanks again,
sarah