Summer is the time when it is necessary to feed a group of friends or your children and their friends. Try a dynamic Summer Chowder, when stretching the menu and your budget without compromising flavor. First, dice new potatoes and cook those until just tender. Rinse and hold to the potatoes to the side. Sear a fillet of sturdy white fish, one per person, and set aside. In a Dutch oven, sauté diced green bell pepper, diced onion, diced carrots, and diced celery. Add broken up small pieces of Serrano ham to the sauté. Stir in a dash of flour, enough to create a paste over the root vegetables. Then, slowly add chicken broth, until the chowder reaches your desired consistency. Add chopped basil. Add the pre-cooked diced potatoes and the seared white fish. Simmer and stir, so that the fish breaks apart slightly. Adjust the seasoning. Add freshly shaved corn from the cob and top the chowder servings with crumbled bacon. It a beachcombing soup that calls all to the kitchen for more. © Kelly McBride Loft