St. Patrick’s Day, the classic Irish holiday celebrated all around the world, brings people together for a day of festivities and eating delicious food. At Dromoland Castle, the celebration extends by honoring local Irish suppliers to create signature Dromoland dishes for the occasion. Working with the best Irish ingredients, a Dromoland Castle specialty is the “Seafood Chowder” that uses the finest local produce and dairy such as leeks, cream and authentic Irish butter to create a comforting and warm dish. The seafood used in the chowder are cod, salmon, monkfish, or halibut as it varies by the season. The dish also features mussels as an added surprise as well as scallops. Simmered to perfection, the Dromoland Castle Seafood Chowder is a local Irish specialty during the holiday and served year round for guests to enjoy.

Dromoland's Seafood Chowder
Yields 4 portions

Ingredients:

• 1/2 can of leek and potato soup*
• 150g raw fish (cod, salmon, monkfish, halibut)
• 4 scallops
• 8 prawns (cooked)
• 80g mussels (cooked)
• 1tsp chopped parsley
• 1tsp chopped chives
• 100mls white wine
• 100mls cream
• 50g butter
• Squeeze of lemon

Directions:

1. Bring the leek and potato soup to the boil, check the seasoning. The soup should be of a thick consistency.
2. Place the wine and butter in a medium sized pot, bring to the boil and reduce by half, add the cream and return to the boil.
3. Add the raw fish and simmer for 30 seconds, next add the cooked fish and scallops and warm through.
4. Add the fish and shellfish mixture to the leek and potato soup, stir gently. Finish with the herbs and lemon juice, check the seasoning before serving.