Published on 18/12/2024 16:34
Updated on 18/12/2024 16:34
Reading time: 1min – video: 5min
Winter dishes: Charentaise chowder brought up to date by a great chef from the region
Winter dishes: Charentaise chowder brought up to date by a great chef from the region
(France 2)
Head to La Rochelle to discover Charentaise chowder, a once very popular local recipe, which has now been somewhat forgotten. This fish dish was made with leftovers from the day’s catch.
Fresh fish and seasonal vegetables, the spirits of the land and the sea linked by a sauce: this is the magic of Charentaise chowder. Originally, it was a fishermen’s recipe made from fish too small to be sold. In the early morning, at the fish market in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), the starred chef Christopher Coutanceau comes to throw a call at the freshly caught fish. He relies on “exceptional products“, “wild“and above all”seasonal“.
In the kitchen of his restaurant, he chose seasonal vegetables: carrots, celery stalks and potatoes for the earthy side. On the sea side, he bought squid, snapper, red mullet and gilthead sea bream, fish that he cuts into pieces. In a saucepan, he browns the squid and vegetables.
After adding mushrooms and deglazing with white wine, place in broth and cream. Once the vegetables are cooked, they are transferred to a dish, before adding the pieces of fish. “You have to be generous“, he specifies. The fish is cooked for just a few minutes. In barely an hour, the Charentaise chowder is finished. “A concentrate of tastes“, rejoices the chef.
Watch the full report in the video above
