I love having a heart-warming soup in cool weather. When I went to America with my mum a couple of years ago, it was the first time we tried a seafood chowder in the fish market. Prawns, mussels, crab meat, all the fresh seafood in a giant pot! We couldn’t resist to get a bowl to share. It was so fresh, sweet and creamy, a perfect afternoon snack in chilly winter. Chowder is normally a thick cream-based soup, but I decided to use coconut milk instead for more coconut flavour and healthy fat. Mussels contain high levels of EPA and DHA which is healthy fats improving your brain function and reducing inflammation. It’s also a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, iron and folic acid. Turmeric and saffron in this soup is a powerful antioxidant, natural anti-inflammatory, digestion aid and immune booster. This is a real comforting food with full of goodness and flavour.
1 cup of cooked mussels
2 ears of corn husked
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tomato deseeded and chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of stock or water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of turmeric
a pinch of saffron threads
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of olive oil
Cook onion and garlic with coconut oil in a pot until cooked. Add other vegetables in and stir until the veggies are cooked al dente. Pour coconut milk and water into a pot and add cooked mussels, bay leaf, turmeric and saffron. Simmer for 10-15 minutes with a lid on. Season with salt and pepper in the last minute. Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and drizzle olive oil. You can serve the chowder immediately but I find letting it sit for a bit can enhance the flavour.