Walleye and Wild Rice Chowder

Servings: 6-8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless walleye fillets
1 small onion, chopped
3 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 (6.5-ounce) can of clams in juice
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
½ cup of uncooked wild rice
6 cups of water
8 ounces of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup half-and-half
3 tablespoons of corn starch
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Seasoned salt, to taste
Freshly minced chives

Directions

Step 1

In a soup pot, render chopped bacon over medium-low heat, and then transfer bacon bits to a plate and set aside. Increase heat to medium and add chopped onion, celery, carrots and a pinch of salt to the bacon grease; sauté for 5-7 minutes or until onion turns translucent.

Step 2

Next, add bay leaf, thyme and wild rice and sauté for about 3-5 minutes, or until rice becomes slightly toasted. Return bacon bits to the pot. Add the clam juice from the can– reserving clam meat for later– and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 40 minutes covered until wild rice, carrot and celery become tender.

Step 3

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high and brown mushrooms. Season with salt and set aside. Remove and discard skin from walleye fillets– if any– and cut into large cubes; then set fish aside and keep cold.

Step 4

Once wild rice becomes tender, add the browned mushrooms to the pot. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Add the half-and-half to the pot. Ladle some warm soup into a small bowl and dissolve corn starch into a smooth paste before adding it to the chowder to thicken– this helps to prevent lumps. Simmer chowder until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add more corn starch if you like.

Step 5

Just before serving the chowder, gently stir in walleye cubes and reserved clam meat to the hot soup; adding the meat at the last minute prevents it from overcooking and breaking up too much. Season to taste with seasoned salt. Serve chowder with freshly cracked pepper and minced chives on top.