Chowder Charter

Sailing for your supper

Story and photos by Amy Kepferle · Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Pavlovian responses can be so fun to induce. For example: Each spring, a couple months before I reserve seats for a summertime sailing expedition with Kathy and Don Beattie, I show my officemate a picture of their boat, the Shawmanee.

Without fail, upon seeing the image of the 65-foot-long craft cutting through the dark-blue waters of Bellingham Bay, her peepers glaze over and grow wider and she barks out—at the top of her lungs, mind you—“Chowder Charter! Chowder Charter! When are we going?”

I don’t blame my friend for her slack-jawed, starry-eyed reaction. I, too, look forward to the annual event that finds us climbing aboard the seafaring vessel for the three-hour sunset excursion the Beatties offer every Wednesday through the season.

But it’s always kind of a surprise that my coworker gets so worked up over the outing, as she’s the type who doesn’t usually get animated over anything that features the beauty of nature as its selling point. But I think I’ve got it figured out; you see, in addition to the thrill of being out in the middle of Bellingham Bay on warm summer nights—Mount Baker all white and majestic behind us and the San Juan Islands hazy and dreamy in the opposite direction—the Beatties also offer up all-you-can-eat Smoked Salmon Chowder from Boundary Bay Brewery.

And my first mate, while retaining her high school slimness, is one for whom the words “all you can eat” holds a world of possibilities. (In other words, she’s never met a buffet she couldn’t get behind.)

Here’s how it works: While the guests sit and sip wine aboveboard as the Shawmanee makes its way further into the currents, Kathy heads to the galley as soon as possible to turn on the burner that heats up 14 to 16 gallons of the famous chowder. As soon as it’s reached the desired temperature, she gives a shout out, a line soon forms, and it’s not long before she’s doling the steaming, creamy, salmon-rich mélange into Avenue Bread sourdough bowls.

“Until you eat the bread bowl, you can keep coming back for more,” she reminds each diner, most of who head back outside to slurp their supper. She also pushes the green Tabasco, telling them to “try a couple drops, you won’t be sorry.”

She’s right. The Tabasco cuts through the richness of the chowder, adding just the right amount of spice to the seafood and vegetable concoction. And, like most food eaten in close proximity to the sky and water, it seems to taste exponentially better outside.

This year, a handsome blond deckhand saw to seconds, ferrying the bowls back and forth as we gorged ourselves past the comfort level and into a sated, silly stupor.

Finally, after the 20 or so visitors were beyond full, we declared ourselves finished—at least until Kathy brought around a platter of ginger snaps. Once again, it was the perfect way to spend a July evening watching the sun set in Bellingham.

Next spring, instead of showing my buddy a snapshot of the sailboat used to execute the outing, I’m going to place a picture of the chowder in front of her instead and see what happens. I think I already know.

[RECIPE]

Boundary Bay Brewery Smoked Salmon Chowder

Ingredients

3.5 cups diced potatoes
2.5 cups diced carrots
3 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup garlic, chopped
1.5 cups clam juice
1.5 cups white wine
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
6 cups heavy cream
1.5 lbs smoked salmon (they smoke their own in-house, but recommend you buy yours from Barlean’s Fishery)

Boil the vegetables in the clam juice, wine and thyme. Heat up the cream. Melt the butter in a pot and add the flour slowly to make a roux. Add the cream to the roux and stir. When the vegetables are soft, and the cream/roux mix is warm, add the cream/roux mix to the vegetable pot. Add the salmon. Let it cook for a few more minutes. Enjoy with a Boundary Bay Brewery ESB (or your favorite Boundary brew). Feeds a whole lot of people.

—Recipe courtesy of Boundary Bay Brewery