Miso Fish Chowder

Date Published: Sept 18th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 18th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: soup, mains
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

This Miso Fish Chowder tastes just like a clam chowder, but is thinner, more brothy, made with fish instead of clams and not as heavy. It’s made with white miso for an umami punch and packs in a ton of flavour.

The original recipe is from NYT Cooking but I’ve made a few changes with addition of ingredients and also doubled the batch because this soup is just so damn good that it always disappears too quickly. My recipe will make enough to serve 8, but feel free to halve the recipe if you like, but this soup freezes incredibly well and is perfect for meal-prep days.

Although this recipe doesn’t have actual clams in it, it does use clam juice as one of its main ingredients. Clam juice is the broth that comes from steaming clams. While it doesn’t sound the most appetizing, it is important in this recipe to get that seafood/clam/umami flavour infused into the soup. There are a couple brands out there, but one of the most popular ones is by Bar Harbor. I found these bad boys at my local Whole Foods near the seafood section for about $4 per bottle.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1kg (2 lbs) skinless white fish fillets (cod or barramundi work well), sliced to 3cm pieces
Pinch of salt
8 slices of bacon, diced
3 Tbsps unsalted butter
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2/3 cup (200g) white/shiro miso
1.2kg (2.5 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
960ml (4x 8oz bottles) clam juice
4 cups water
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
5 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 can of whole sweet corn kernels, drained
Serve: oyster crackers or crusty bread

Directions:

Add a pinch of salt to both sides of the fish pieces and set aside until ready to use.

In a large soup pot on MED heat, add in the diced bacon and sauté until crispy (~5 minutes) then set aside onto a paper towel-lined plate.

In the same pot, using the residual bacon grease, add in 3 Tbsps butter and stir until melted. Add in the celery, leeks, pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper. Sauté until the celery has softened (~8 minutes).

Next add in the white miso paste and mix well until there are no clumps and sauté for 3 minutes to slightly caramelize the miso.

Add in the potatoes, clam juice, 4 cups water, and 2 sprigs thyme. Mix well, turn the heat on to HIGH to let the soup come to a boil, then turn the heat down to LOW and simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to break with a spoon (15 minutes).

Add in the 1 cup heavy cream and the white part of the sliced scallions. Let the soup come to a simmer then add in the fish pieces (from step 1). Continue to simmer until the fish is flakey and cooked (~5 minutes).

Stir in the corn kernels until heated through, then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle on the cooked crispy bacon (from step 2) and the green part of the sliced scallions to garnish. Serve with oyster crackers or crusty bread. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Miso Fish Chowder

Date Published: Sept 18th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 18th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: soup, mains
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

1kg (2lbs) skinless white fish fillets (cod or barramundi work well), sliced to 3cm pieces
Pinch of salt
8 slices of bacon, diced
3 Tbsps unsalted butter
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2/3 cup (200g) white/shiro miso
1.2kg (2.5 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
960ml (4x 8oz bottles) clam juice
4 cups water
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
5 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 can of whole sweet corn kernels, drained
Serve: oyster crackers or crusty bread

Directions:

Add a pinch of salt to both sides of the fish pieces and set aside until ready to use.
In a large soup pot on MED heat, add in the diced bacon and sauté until crispy (~5 minutes) then set aside onto a paper towel-lined plate.
In the same pot, using the residual bacon grease, add in 3 Tbsps butter and stir until melted. Add in the celery, leeks, pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper. Sauté until the celery has softened (~8 minutes).
Next add in the white miso paste and mix well until there are no clumps and sauté for 3 minutes to slightly caramelize the miso.
Add in the potatoes, clam juice, 4 cups water, and 2 sprigs thyme. Mix well, turn the heat on to HIGH to let the soup come to a boil, then turn the heat down to LOW and simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to break with a spoon (15 minutes).
Add in the 1 cup heavy cream and the white part of the sliced scallions. Let the soup come to a simmer then add in the fish pieces (from step 1). Continue to simmer until the fish is flakey and cooked (~5 minutes).
Stir in the corn kernels until heated through, then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle on the cooked crispy bacon (from step 2) and the green part of the sliced scallions to garnish. Serve with oyster crackers or crusty bread. Enjoy!

September 18, 2025September 9, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Colcannon (Irish Kale Mashed Potatoes)

Date Published: Jan 1st, 2025 | Last Updated: Jan 1st, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, vegetarian, easy
Serves: 8 (1 large bowl) | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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Happy New Year everyone!!!!🥳 I hope everyone had a great 2024, if not, here’s to a better 2025! To kick off the new year, here’s a twist to an old staple.

Colcannon is a traditional Irish mashed potato dish that incorporates kale (or cabbage). It sounds weird, but trust me, it actually works. Think of the kale as an excuse to pile on that butter. 😉

I learned of this dish when I found myself with a large bunch of kale taking up half the space in the vegetable drawer and some potatoes threatening to sprout. A quick search of these ingredients led me to this dish and now this is my go-to mashed potato dish to serve at any occasional to make an interesting twist to a classic.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1kg Yukon gold potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled depending on how like it)
6 Tbsps (85g) unsalted butter
1 large bunch (~6-8 cups, semi-packed) of kale (curly or lacinato), stems removed and chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 spring onions, sliced
1/2 cup milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover and a sprinkle of salt. Bring the heat up to HIGH to let the water come to a boil, then turn it down to MED and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (~15-20 mins). Drain and set aside.

In a medium sized pot or deep pan on MED-HIGH heat, melt the butter and add in the kale. Sauté for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted. Add in the garlic and spring onions and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant and the spring onions have softened.

Add in the cooked potatoes (from step 1) and milk into the pan and mix it all together. Once everything is heated through, turn off the heat and mash the potatoes until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Colcannon (Irish Kale Mashed Potatoes)

Ingredients:

1kg Yukon gold potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled depending on how like it)
6 Tbsps (85g) unsalted butter
1 large bunch (~6-8 cups, semi-packed) of kale (curly or lacinato), stems removed and chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 spring onions, sliced
1/2 cup milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover and a sprinkle of salt. Bring the heat up to HIGH to let the water come to a boil, then turn it down to MED and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (~15-20 mins). Drain and set aside.
In a medium sized pot or deep pan on MED-HIGH heat, melt the butter and add in the kale. Sauté for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted. Add in the garlic and spring onions and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant and the spring onions have softened.
Add in the cooked potatoes (from step 1) and milk into the pan and mix it all together. Once everything is heated through, turn off the heat and mash the potatoes until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference. Done!
Melt 2 Tbsp of butter and drizzle on top with green onion garnish before serving.

January 1, 2025December 15, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Vepřo knedlo zelo (pork, dumpling, sauerkraut) – a Czech national dish

Date Published: Feb 14th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 14th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: czech, mains
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 3 hours (mainly to wait until the potatoes cool) | Cook time: 3 hours

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Vepřo knedlo zelo is Czech’s national dish (or at least one of them – I couldn’t find an official source to state what the official national Czech dish is, but most sources have pointed to this one (another source claims it to be svičkova)). Regardless of whether or not it’s the true national dish, it’s definitely very popular and found in most Czech restaurants.

The name of the dish directly translates to the 3 components that make up the dish: vepřo = pork, knedlo = dumpling, zelo = sauerkraut. Disclaimer: this page is not a recipe page of all 3 components, but rather a guide to making all 3 components in order with links to each of their dedicated recipes. I’ve chosen to split it up this way to make it easier for the reader to navigate rather than writing it all in one monstrously long recipe post with a million photos. Each component is also delicious on their own that you can pair it with other dishes instead of just in a vepřo knedlo zelo.

1. Vepřo = pork

The pork portion is usually a pork shoulder, which can be roasted or smoked. The first time I had this dish was at babička’s place and she served it with a smoked pork shoulder. She was cooking away with it for hours that the whole apartment smelled like smoked ham – I’m pretty sure my jacket still has a hint of it 4 weeks later 😅. When I set out to recreate this dish, we visited the lovely little Polish butcher a block away from us and found that they sell beautiful already-cooked smoked pork shoulder! We couldn’t resist and bought a few hundred grams (it was delicious). We still go back there when we’re feeling too lazy to cook and heat it up with sauerkraut and dumplings.

Instead of a smoked pork, a roast pork is the other version of this dish. When I first made it from scratch, I didn’t expect much since the steps were so simple and straightforward. I also don’t usually cook with pork much so my experience with making pork roasts is very limited, but I’ve gotta say, it came out really fucking good – even Toby approves! Although the smoked pork is good and easy, the roasted version is a lot juicier in my opinion. The recipe for the roasted pork shoulder is below.

Vepřová Pečeně – Czech-style Pork Roast

2. Knedlo = dumpling

Knedlíky are Czech dumplings. There are a few different kinds of Czech dumplings, but in this particular dish, it’s commonly served with either the bread version (houskové knedlíky) or the potato version (bramborové knedlíky) (you can find out more about the difference here). I personally prefer it with a heavier dense potato dumpling, but it can be served with the lighter fluffier bread dumpling version too. In this guide, I will reference the potato dumpling version (which happens to be easier too!). Here are links to both types of dumplings:

Czech Potato Dumplings – Bramborové Knedlíky

Czech Bread Dumplings – Houskové Knedlíky

3. Zelo = sauerkraut

You can serve this dish with whatever style of sauerkraut you like, but I prefer it with a sweet smokey version like this one here. Since this is my favourite sauerkraut, I will also be writing this guide in accordance to that recipe. Fun fact: I actually liked this version of sauerkraut so much that I needed to find a meat dish to go with it which is how I got onto making a vepřo knedlo zelo in the first place. I never would’ve made this dish if I hadn’t succeeded in making the sauerkraut 🙃.

Braised Bacon & Mushroom Sweet Sauerkraut

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the guide! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Directions:

1. Make the pork roast first. This is the most time-consuming and will take 2.5-3 hours to cook. Although lengthy, all this time is literally waiting. There’s nothing else that needs to be done with the pork once you pop it in the oven which makes it the perfect time to prepare everything else. When it’s done, measure it with a meat thermometer to ensure that it’s cooked and slice it. Easy. If you’re not ready to serve it yet while you finish the other components, leave it drenched in the drippings/oils from the pan to keep it moist and soaking up flavour.

2. While the pork is roasting in the oven, start making the potato dumplings. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to put the dough together and once the loaves are formed, it takes about half an hour to cook each batch. If you have extra stove space and extra pots, you can get two pots going at the same time so you can cook them all at once to save time rather than waiting for back to back 30 minutes. Make sure you set timers so you don’t forget about them.

3. When the dumplings are boiling, start making the sauerkraut. It takes about 30-40 minutes in total including two 15 minute braising times during the process, so while you’re waiting you can intermittently check on the dumplings.