Shrimp Chowder

I love a good summery chowder, and the combo of shrimp and fennel in this dish is just right! I altered the original version quite a bit and I opted to lighten up mine with low fat cream. I cheated and used a vegetable stock instead of making my own shrimp stock as well. If you love chowder you might want to check out my Elote Corn Chowder as well!

 

Ingredients:

1 lb small-medium peeled frozen shrimp, thawed & cut into thirds

3-4 ounces prosciutto, diced

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 fennel bulb, (discard tough outer layers & core) inner layers are then diced

1 ½ lbs small gold or red potatoes, halved & then quartered

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium white onion, diced

1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

2 cups low-fat half & half

1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

How To:

-Boil potatoes until just done (meaning you can pierce them with a fork without breaking or crumbling) Drain & set aside

-Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium and add prosciutto and cook until browned & slightly crispy

-Add another splash of oil, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, fennel seed, and chopped fennel- cook until softened

-Season mixture with salt & pepper

-Add broth & tomatoes- bring to a boil

-Reduce to a simmer, add potatoes season with salt & pepper and cover- about 10 minutes

-Turn off heat, add shrimp and stir in cream, season again if needed

-Serve within the hour, or refrigerate and re-heat if serving later