The Heart of the Table | The Art of Gathering
The Fussy Dinner
I had friends over for a fussy dinner the other night. I did my own version of surf and turf by grilling both a butterflied leg of lamb and delicious pumpkin swordfish steaks. It was a beautiful evening... but I ended up with a bunch of leftovers! You know how I am. I cannot stand to waste food.
The wheels started runnin’ the next morning as I stared into the refrigerator. I had to figure out what to do with all this beautiful, leftover grilled fish.
"Swordfish cakes came to mind... as did my Bubba Gump’s list of other fish dishes! Swordfish gumbo, swordfish fried-rice, swordfish salad, swordfish burgers, swordfish spread… well, you get the picture."
In the end, fish chowder won out. Because I had pumpkin swordfish, I decided to “pepper” the chowder with like-colored ingredients using sweet potatoes and carrots to flavor the broth. It’s really all about the fishy, creamy rich broth that makes this soooo good!
The beauty of a great leftover meal is that it gives you an excuse to keep the party going. Serve a big pot of this chowder with a wedge of cheesy garlic bread and a green salad, and invite those friends back to join in the FUN! It’s all good!
From the Memoir to the Kitchen
To bring this memory to your own table, explore the Master Blueprint for the rich, velvety seafood chowder that inspired this story.
View the Recipe in The Estate Vault