Some days are made for soup.

After a brief bought of sunshine and warm temperatures, it’s back to normal winter weather. Cold. Damp. Drizzle. That calls for one thing: soup.

The Portland area is well known for coffee shops on every corner. And that’s a good thing. If there wasn’t so much caffeine available around here, there’d be a lot of people falling asleep at the wheel. But after a whole day of caffeine and the buzz that goes with it, it’s time to relax with a cozy, comfort dish like Seafood Chowder.

Here’s the recipe:
In a 3 quart dutch oven or heavy sauce pan cover 4-6 yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into quarters with water and cook until tender. Drain off the excess water and mash the potatoes in the pan. Set aside.
In a fry pan or skillet, cook 3-4 slices of bacon until crispy, drain off the excess bacon fat and sauté ½ chopped onion.
Heat up the potatoes and add 1to 2 cups of milk, stirring constantly to get it smooth and evenly heated. Add ½ to 1 pound of your favorite shellfish. Or do what I do and use a ½ package of the Trader Joe’s frozen seafood mix. Add the bacon and onions.
Stir everything together and let the fish cook until the shrimp is pink. Serve with sprinkle of paprika and/or parsley on top.

What do I like best about this soup? You can boil the potatoes ahead of time and put the rest of the soup together right before you eat. A soup to make a rainy, gray, wintery day in the Pacific Northwest better!