This chowder delivers island flavor but saves the conch and saves you a lot of effort. Minced firm tofu mimics conch’s chewy texture, and nori dust provides briny flavor. It’s available in some specialty markets, or make your own by baking a half sheet of nori in a 300-degrees oven for 10 minutes, then crushing it with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 sliver Scotch bonnet or ½ jalapeno, minced
- 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 cup fennel (from 1 small fennel bulb or ½ large), chopped
- ½ pound potatoes (about 2 cups), well-chopped
- 1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes (or 2 cups fresh and ripe, chopped)
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon nori dust
- 1 cup firm tofu, pressed to expel any extra water, minced
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
About this recipe
Serves 6 Serve with a bottle of Scotch bonnet hot sauce handy and a good-sized wedge of cornbread fresh from the oven.
Instructions
In a Dutch oven or large soup pot with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook, stirring for a minute, then add the Scotch bonnet or jalapeno, celery, carrots, red pepper, fennel and potatoes, and continue cooking and stirring until vegetables start to soften, another 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, wine, chopped tomatoes and broth. Stir and scrape any vegetable bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add allspice, Old Bay, bay leaf and minced tofu. Continue stirring, and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow chowder to simmer for 45 minutes, or until potatoes and tender and flavors have melded. Stir in nori dust, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Keeps covered and refrigerated for several days.
