Chowder? Yes, please.

I hate the fact that I have to watch my salt intake. But I’ve been doing it for quite a while now and have found ways to enjoy foods that are generally prohibited on a low sodium diet.

One of my favorites foods was Clam Chowder. Sadly, clams are loaded with sodium. And, it’s not only canned clams, but also fresh clams that have a lot of salt in them. So, in order to enjoy the food that I like I made some adjustments that makes a great alternative. I use a variety of seafood in my chowder, cod, scallops, shrimp, and the baby clams. Firstly, baby clams have less sodium than regular clams. Next, by using other seafood, the recipe requires fewer clams, but retains the same great seafood taste.

I also use a mix of heavy cream and fat free half n’ half. This greatly reduces the amount of fat in the chowder. I use a finely chopped mirepoix as a base and then that’s built upon with the other ingredients. A mirepoix is a mix of onion, carrots, and celery in a ratio of roughly 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot and 1 part celery. I tend to use a bit more onion because I think using more carrot and celery adds too much sweetness to the base.

When the chowder is complete, I serve it topped with crumbled bacon, green onion, and oyster crackers. It is so good and hearty, it’s a soup that is a complete meal.

If you find out that, for some reason, you must give up a favorite food, try different variations. You might find that great compromise can be made that will allow you to enjoy it anyway.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading.

-Ken.