Author: Kenny & Brenna Aschbacher

We’ve definitely had some rainy, wintry weather lately, so it seems like a great time for a hearty salmon chowder. You can use any wild salmon filet for this recipe, leftover salmon or even canned salmon. We do prefer the richness of salmon bellies and they are easy to prep for this recipe. We currently offer both Sockeye and Keta salmon bellies. Stick to your favorite or try a mix for this chowder.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons butter

16 ounces chicken broth

1 cup uncooked diced peeled potatoes

1 cup shredded carrots

1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon dill

12 ounces corn

2 cups half and half cream

1 pound salmon (skin, fin and pin-bones removed)

Optional toppings: crumbled cooked bacon, minced chives and cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Start with the salmon bellies. You have two options here:

Place salmon bellies on a cookie sheet or glass baking dish and bake for 10 minutes in a 350° F oven.

OR

Poach salmon bellies in chicken broth for 2-3 minutes.

THEN

Cool the salmon bellies and remove the skin and fins yielding only the delicious meat of the fish. Set aside only the salmon meat for use in this recipe. Skins and fins can be further simmered in another pot with filtered water for a quick salmon broth. Alternatively, salmon skins are a great treat for pets (no fins).

2. In a large saucepan, saute celery, onion, green bell pepper and garlic in butter until the vegetables are tender. Add broth, potatoes, carrots, sea salt, pepper and dill; bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in the corn, cream and salmon. Simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through. If desired, garnish with bacon, chives and cracked black pepper. Serve and enjoy!

We currently plan to participate in both Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers Markets in Phoenix through about mid-April and begin our summer season at the Los Ranchos Growers Market in New Mexico sometime in May. Come see us soon to stock your freezer and pantry.

Brenna & Kenny

Hey New Mexico FishHuggers! Apologies for the late notice, however, we’ve decided to participate in the Los Ranchos Market tomorrow, Saturday, December 17. Our market hours are 10am-12noon. We will have: Sockeye Salmon, Keta Salmon, Smoked Salmon, NM Grassfed Beef Steaks, NM Green Chile Pork Sausage, NM Raw Local Honey, Bariani Olive Oil, Kenny’s Spice Rub, Fresh AZ Medjool Dates, FishHugger t-shirts, freezer tote bags and gift certificates! In case you didn’t catch us last week, come see us tomorrow and please share this email with any interested friends and family. We appreciate you all!

Happy Holidays,

Brenna & Kenny

Just a quick reminder we’re doing our last planned event of 2022 tomorrow, Saturday, December 10 at Los Ranchos Growers Market. Official market hours are 10am-12noon although we may stay a little later. The annual holiday market will have a variety of local produce and food products from your favorite growers and food producers along with cool creations by your local artists and crafters. It will be a fun holiday market with live music + hot coffee and treats!

If you placed an order with FishHugger, we’ll have it ready for you to pick up. In case you didn’t get a chance to order, we’re bringing extra: Sockeye Salmon, Keta Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Grassfed Ground Beef, Grassfed Beef Steaks, Green Chile Pork Sausage, Local NM Raw Honey, Bariani Olive Oil, Kenny’s Spice Rub and Fresh AZ Medjool Dates. Come see us!

Happy Holidays,

Brenna & Kenny

Happy December! Winter is just around the corner. As usual, we’re looking forward to spending most of the rest of 2022 in New Mexico to celebrate the holidays with our families.

We’ll be available at the Los Ranchos Winter Growers Market on Saturday, December 10. Official market hours are 10am-12pm. This is our last planned event in New Mexico until May 2023. Although we will be bringing extra salmon, beef and more, advance orders are encouraged. Orders will be accepted by email or phone through Monday, December 5. If you have already ordered and have not received a confirmation, please check in, we don’t want to miss you!

We do offer gift cards, feed your family and friends for the holidays! Ask us for details. Our calendar page is updated through the first weekend of January, 2023. More market dates coming soon. Our product list has also been updated with new items. We welcome your orders, questions and feedback. We’re so thankful for all of you, it has been our pleasure to serve you. Wishing you a healthful and peaceful December!

If you’re in Phoenix, you can still catch us at both Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers Markets this weekend, December 3/4. We’ll be back for the winter/spring season in early January 2023.

Happy Holidays,

Brenna & Kenny

We trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Kenny hickory smoked half a beef’s worth of brisket for 8 hours on Wednesday. We ate most of it on Thanksgiving Day with family and friends and finished the rest on Friday.. 

Phoenix: We’re back at both Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers markets through December 4, 2022. After that, we’ll be out of state for the remainder of December enjoying our holiday season with family, as usual. If you’d like to stock your freezer and pantry for the winter, please let us know, we’re happy to accommodate you. The Christmas and New Year holidays fall on weekends this year, so to the best of our knowledge, our farmers markets will be closed both weekends and we plan to be back beginning January 7, 2023 for the winter/spring season.

Albuquerque: We plan to participate in the Los Ranchos Winter Market on Saturday, December 10, 2022. To get exactly what you want, we encourage ordering in advance via email or phone. Orders will be accepted through Monday, December 5, 2022. This is our last planned event in New Mexico until May 2023.

A special thanks to all of you, we’re grateful for each of you and we’re so thankful that we can help feed you and your families.

Cheers,

Brenna & Kenny

We’re happy to be back in Arizona for a few weeks before our last market of the year in Los Ranchos, New Mexico and our annual winter vacation. Come see us at Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers Markets every weekend through the first week of December. We have a great selection of Sockeye salmon and Keta salmon. Don’t forget our amazingly delicious New Mexico Grassfed-Grassfinished Beef and Pork + a HUGE variety and abundance of Arizona local raw honey and specialty raw honeys. We also have Bariani Olive Oil and Kenny’s Spice Rub along with a few other items. It’s going to be a great fall season!

This is the perfect time to stock your freezer and pantry for the winter. As always, we offer stock up discounts for case orders. Check our website for details. If you’d like to order in advance for a market, please do so by 5:00pm on Fridays.

We welcome your comments, questions, feedback and insights. We look forward to serving you all this fall.

Cheers,

Brenna & Kenny

Due to a late fall pork harvest date, we’ll be staying in New Mexico a few weeks longer than is typical. We usually fly just before the balloons do, but we’ll be remaining here in the Albuquerque area and plan to attend the Los Ranchos Growers Market for the next 3 Saturdays, through October 8, 2022. After that, we’ll be heading to Phoenix and plan to pick up the Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers Markets beginning sometime in late October. As usual, we will plan on being back in New Mexico for the Winter Market in Los Ranchos on Saturday, December 10, 2022. 

If you’re in New Mexico and need to stock your freezer and pantry for the fall, please let us know ASAP. The sooner you get your order in, the more likely you are to get exactly what you want.

A special thank you to all of our customers, co-vendors, farmers, gardeners and market managers. We absolutely love this job and couldn’t do what we do best without all of you! We truly appreciate you all and always welcome your feedback, comments and input. It’s been an AMAZING harvest season and we have reaped the rewards and stocked up plenty of green chile and other yummy produce and fruit for the winter. This week, Kenny has been processing frozen grapes, elderberries and pears to begin fermenting our family’s Christmas Mead!

Cheers,

Brenna & Kenny

Great news! Our New Mexico Pasture-Finished GrassFAT Beef is back in stock including ground beef, beef roasts, beef steaks, beef bones and organs. This beef was dry aged 21 days and processed at a small family-owned USDA facility in Raton, NM. Same great beef, same great taste…all packages are vacuum sealed.

Should you have feedback, comments, questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at anytime. We sincerely appreciate each and every one of our patrons, customers, co-vendors, growers and market managers…we couldn’t do this without you! It is our pleasure to provide you and your families with our premium quality salmon and beef!

In Health & Happiness,

Kenny & Brenna