Recipe: creamy chowder gratin

This recipe by Harry Hook for Trewithen Dairy includes generous chunks of fish, sweetcorn and bacon in a creamy sauce. It is topped with a meaty crumb and is the perfect way to warm the cockles on chilly days. The gratin can be served with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Ingredients

• 20g butter 
• 1 onion, sliced 
• 300g fish pie mix
• 200g prawns
• 100g bacon lardons
• 2 medium waxy potatoes (e.g. désirée), peeled and cubed 
• 200g tinned sweetcorn, drained 
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 200ml fish stock
• 30g Trewithen Dairy Cornish clotted cream
• small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 150g stale bread
• 100g chorizo

Method

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• Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat before adding the onion. Allow to sweat gently for 5 mins, then push to one side and add the bacon lardons.
• When the bacon is golden brown, add the plain flour and stir well. Allow to cook for a couple of mins.
• While stirring, pour the fish stock in and bring to a simmer. Add the cubed potatoes and cover for approx 15 mins or until the potatoes are tender. 
• Add the sweetcorn, fish and seafood, before stirring through the clotted cream for richness. Add the cayenne to taste and season generously with salt and pepper. 
• Simmer for a couple of mins, then stir through half the chopped parsley and remove from the heat. 
• To make the crumb, blitz the bread and chorizo in a food processor until you have a fine crumb. Add seasoning to taste – depending on the saltiness of the chorizo.
• Place a frying pan over a medium to high heat and add the breadcrumb mix. The chorizo contains all the oils needed to coat the breadcrumbs. Fry for 2-3 mins until crisp and golden.
• To serve, place the chowder into a serving bowl and spoon the crumb over the top. Serve with crusty bread.

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