Nigel Slater's Quick Fish Chowder Recipe

A soup to warm the cockles of your heart

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The recipeScrub 400g of new potatoes, then halve or quarter them depending on their size. Peel and roughly chop an onion, put it in a large deep pan, then add 500ml of water and 500ml of milk. Bring to the boil, with a coarse grinding of pepper and a couple of bay leaves. Lower the heat so the liquid simmers and, when the onion is soft, introduce 400g of mixed fish, such as salmon, cod and smoked haddock cut into large cubes, and continue to cook on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Slice the kernels from a head of sweetcorn and drop them into the pan. Roughly chop two spring onions and a small bunch of parsley, and stir them into the soup carefully, without breaking up the fish, then serve as soon as the corn is tender.

The trick

You could use one of the ready-prepared assortments of fish meant for fish pie if it is more convenient. The soup is a calming, delicate version, but sustaining enough to be a light main dish. It is important not to stir the chowder too much as it cooks, which would result in the fish breaking up.

The twist

I sometimes like to add a handful of mussels or clams to the soup once the fish has almost reached tenderness. Finely sliced leeks can work well instead of the onion. To give the soup a sweeter note, cook the onion or leek in a little butter and oil until it is soft, before adding the milk. You could stir in a little tarragon or dill, finely chopped, into the soup near the end of the cooking time.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk. Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater

Nigel Slater: 'Stir in tarragon or dill, finely chopped, near the end of the cooking time.' Above: his quick fish chowder recipe. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer