Southwestern Seafood Chowder

My Mom says I put corn in everthing.
Now you and I know that isn't true, but I do like corn.
I guess that's why I liked this Southwestern Seafood Chowder when I saw it! 
The corn, of course! 
Oh yeah, I guess I like halibut, prawns, tomatoes, etc. etc. 
About the only thing I don't really care for is the clams, but minced clams in this are really hard to find objectionable.  
 

This recipe was in Food & Wine in March 2011 but it was way to fussy and complicated, so I changed it up a bit.

Sorry in advance, I didn't take very many pictures of making this dinner... not sure why, I guess I was trying to do too many things at once again. Anyways, its pretty easy to make and serve to a crowd.  I served it to 6 of us and we had tons and tons of leftovers, so I really think it would be easy to feed 10 from this recipe.  It wouldn't be too hard to halve this recipe, but really, just make the whole batch and have a party... watcha waitin' for?

(Not shown- 2 cans of minced clams and 2 ribs celery)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1/4 cup canola oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

5 garlic cloves, smashed

2 large ancho chiles, seeded and torn into large pieces
   (Or, 2 fresno chilies and 1 anaheim which is what I used)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 cup dry white wine

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup cream

2 6oz. cans of minced clams, with juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped

One 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce (optional)

1 pound skinless halibut fillet, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the yellow onion, garlic, ancho chiles and fennel seeds and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, the crushed tomatoes and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until the vegetables and anchos are very tender and the broth is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return to the pot.

Add the potatoes and cook over until almost tender about 15 minutes.  Stir in the red onion, celery, chopped fennel and corn. Add the cream, paprika and chili powder.

Add the cans of minced clams (including the liquid), halibut chunks and shrimp to the soup and simmer until the halibut is white and the shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and Frank's Red Hot, if needed. Serve the soup in shallow bowls with oyster crackers or crusty bread. Garnish with some of the chopped fennel fronds, it you like.

Here's a couple more of my favorite spicy soups:Albondigas, Mexican Meatball Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Easy Catalan Fish Stew with Roasted Pepper Paprika Aioli
Mexican Chicken Posole Stew
Pork and Chorizo Soup
Portuguese Linguica Sausage, Bean and Kale Stew