Beat the winter chill with this hearty chunky fish soup with leeks and bacon

This hearty soup is sure to keep the Winter chills at bay and with temperatures set to fall later this week this Chunky Fish Soup with Leeks and Bacon from Bord Bía is the perfect comfort food.

Serves 6

Ingredients
700g whiting, skinned, boned and cut into 3cm chunks
1 tablesp. olive oil
4 streaky bacon rashers, smoked if possible, finely diced
A knob of butter
3 medium leeks, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
500g potatoes, cut into small cubes (approx 1½cm)
1 litre fish or chicken stock
Grated rind of 1 lemon
600ml whole milk
340g can sweetcorn, rinsed and drained
Handful chives, chopped
4 tablesp. cream (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Cook
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add in the bacon and sauté over a high heat until crispy.
Remove to a plate. Add a knob of butter to the saucepan, reduce to a medium heat then add in
the leeks and garlic. Fry gently for 5 minutes until softened, but not coloured. Add the potatoes
and cook for a further minute. Pour in the stock and lemon rind, cover and simmer for 12­15
minutes or until the potatoes are tender. With a slotted spoon, remove half the potatoes and
leeks from the stock and set aside.
Transfer the remaining potatoes, leeks, stock and milk into a blender or food processor and
whizz until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan, add the sweetcorn, bacon, fish and the
potatoes and leeks you have set aside. Cover and gently heat for 3­4 minutes until the fish is just
cooked through ­ don't boil. Stir in chives and cream, if using, then season to taste.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with some crusty wholemeal bread.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Protein: 32g
Carbohydrates: 56g
Fat: 15g
Iron: 1.5mg
Energy: 484kcal