California Avocado Seafood Chowder

HomeRecipesMeals & DishesEntreesCalifornia Avocado Seafood Chowder

Is your soup menu a snooze? Consider this distinctive seafood chowder where Fresh California Avocados act as a rich and colorful wake-up call.

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Serves: 6

Ingredients
Instructions

18 mussels (about 1/2 pound) 1/4 cup dry white wine or water 1 onion, chopped 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 purple or red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/4-inch dice 1 1/2 cups water 1 3/4 cups milk 1/4 cup heavy cream or additional milk 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced 2 Fresh California Avocados, about 8 ounces each, cut in 1/4-inch dice 1 lb. scallops, cleaned, sliced in 1/4-inch medallions 3 Tbsp. chopped, fresh cilantro cilantro sprigs for garnish

Thoroughly scrub, then rinse mussels, until clean. Discard any that remain open after handling. Steam mussels, covered, in wine until just open, about 4 minutes. Remove mussels with a slotted spoon, reserving liquid; discard any that do not open. Reserve in shell. (Unless serving chowder immediately, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving the chowder.) Strain mussel liquid through an extra-fine sieve to remove grit; reserve.
Sauté onion in butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and garlic. Cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved mussel liquid and potatoes. Add water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, cream, corn, and tomato; bring to a simmer. (Do not boil or liquid could separate.) Cook, covered, about 5 minutes. Stir in avocado and scallops; cover. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 4 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro. (If you are not serving immediately, pour into an airtight container; store in the refrigerator.)
To serve, gently heat chowder in a covered pot. Divide chowder among 6 warmed, shallow soup plates. Stick 3 reserved mussels in their shell into the hot liquid of each serving. Garnish each with a cilantro sprig.

Serving Size= 1 1/4 Cup

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

Did You Know?

It’s actually easy to create an avocado rose. If you want to elevate the presentation of a meal, just add a beautiful avocado rose. Or you could add one of these delicious California Avocado side dish recipes.