Potato chowder soup with smoked fish

Prepare all ingredients. Thoroughly wash and peel the vegetables.

Cut the potatoes, celery stalks, and onions into small thin pieces. Pour enough water for cooking the vegetables (about 400-500 ml), add salt, and put it on the stove. Bring to a boil and simmer covered until the vegetables are fully cooked and tender (15-18 minutes).

In a pot over medium heat, lightly toast the flour until it reaches a light creamy color. Add the butter and mix well.

Pour in cold milk and whisk the mixture until smooth and free of lumps. It is recommended not to preheat the milk as cold milk helps prevent lumps. If there are still lumps, you can blend the mixture to achieve a smooth consistency.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl without the broth, and keep the broth in a separate container. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher until it reaches a smooth puree consistency or leave some small pieces according to your preference.

Put the chopped vegetables in a pot with the milk base of the soup and mix, add dried herbs to taste. The ideal herb for this soup is thyme or dill, they are better for garnishing the potato soup when serving. If the soup is too thick, it can be diluted to the desired consistency with vegetable broth or milk.

Carefully remove the smoked fish from the bones, cut it into small pieces and add it to the soup. Heat the soup to boiling, simmer it on low heat for another 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

If desired, you can add the fish to the soup directly before serving. I recommend using any hot smoked fish for the soup. Alternatively, this soup can be interesting with fried smoked bacon instead of fish. The chowder-style smoked fish potato soup is ready. Enjoy your meal.