Winter's Bounty

Chef Don Saunders of In Season does February his way

Image credit: Tate Carlson

Recommended by the Editor

Winter Fresh

Grow Your Own

By: Mecca Bos |   February 2012   |  From the print edition

As the chef/owner of In Season, the only Twin Cities restaurant that wears seasonality so prominently on its sleeve (the name kind of says it all, doesn’t it?), how does Don Saunders deal with the wintertime produce dearth? With plenty of robust winter veg and indulgent seafood—and some cream for good measure.

Winter Wonder Chowder

+ 4 Yukon Gold potatoes (medium diced, scraps saved)

+ 2 large leeks (medium diced, scraps saved)

+ 1 pint heavy cream

+ 1 qt. fish* or chicken stock

+ 1 bay leaf

+ 1 sprig thyme

+ 1 bunch kale (chopped and braised until tender, with stems removed)

+ 1 lb. Manila clams

+ 2 lbs. mussels

+ 1 1/2 lbs. white fish (try monkfish, cod or halibut), cut into medium-sized pieces

+ 1 lb. scallops

+ 2 T Pernod anise liqueur

+ 2 T lemon juice

+ 3 T chopped parsley

+ Salt and pepper to taste

+ Extra virgin olive oil

Place potato and leek scraps in a large pot along with heavy cream, stock, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer until potato scraps are cooked. Puree in blender and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Reserve liquid and discard solids.

Blanch diced potatoes and leeks until tender, and reserve. (This and the above step can be done a day or two in advance if you wish.)

In a very large saucepan or stockpot, combine all of the seafood, diced potatoes, leeks, kale and liquid. Cover and steam on high heat until mussels and clams open and fish is just cooked through. Remove from heat and add Pernod, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Finish with chopped parsley and divide into bowls. Garnish with a good amount of olive oil. Serve with baguette slices.

Serves 8.

From the chef: “I like this recipe because it’s versatile [and can be used with] any seafood at all. Pick anything that looks good from the fishmonger and throw it in! All the winter vegetables, potatoes and hearty broth makes this a very warming dish—perfect for the season.”

Bonus Recipe: Fish Stock

It may be tempting to use chicken stock for this recipe because it’s more familiar to the home cook. Chicken stock will be delicious, but fish stock is so special—so lilting and fragrant—it’s a bit like comparing cashmere and cotton. For something truly exceptional, go the extra mile and try making fish stock. Buy your bones when you’re at the fishmonger; they’ll be readily available. And, making fish stock is actually less work than chicken.

+ 5 lbs. fish bones (halibut, monkfish, walleye or other white fish is best) rinsed with water for five minutes

+ 2 C rough-chopped celery

+ 2 C rough-chopped onion

+ 1 C rough-chopped fennel

+ 20 black peppercorns

+ 1 bay leaf

+ 5 sprigs fresh thyme

Add all ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for an hour and a half. Strain.

+ In Season, 5416 Penn Ave. S.; Mpls., 612-926-0105; inseasonrestaurant.com