12 oz. inexpensive fish (Tilapia, Catfish, etc.), skinned and boned
1 medium large carrot, peeled
1 large stalk celery
1 medium onion
4 medium new potatoes
1-2 Slices of red and green bell pepper (see below)
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
4 Tbsp. salted butter (3 are optional if you want to reduce the fat)
2 cups whole milk
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

(This recipe is a little more involved than I usually post, but doing things separately seems to improve the product, so I recommend it. It is easy, and takes about 20 minutes of constant attention.)

In a 2+ quart, heavy sauce pan put 1 bay leaf and 2 cups of water and boil. Reduce the heat and add the fish, minimally cut up if necessary, and cook till flaky (2-4 minutes depending thickness of the fish.) Remove the fish from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Return the pan to a low boil and continue to reduce the liquid.

In a separate 1 quart sauce pan add 1 cup of lightly salted water and the 2nd bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Halve the carrot and then slice crosswise to get "half coins" about 1/8 inch thick. Add them to the water and set a timer for 10 minutes. Halve the potatoes (peeled if you prefer) and cut the halves into 3 pieces both lengthwise and crosswise and add to the carrots. Next halve the celery, then cut crosswise into 1/8 inch slices and add to rest. Slice two ¼ inch rings from the center of each pepper, then dice, and add these at the 5 minute point. Finish the cooking (10-12 min.) adding a little water if necessary.

Meanwhile slice, then dice the onion medium, and simmer in a small skillet with 1 Tbsp. of the butter. Do not brown, but do cook till soft and translucent.

When the vegetables are done--just crisp tender--drain thru a sieve, adding the water and the bay leaf to the fish water and continue to simmer it to reduce it to about 1 cup. Set the veges aside. When the onions are cooked, add them to the veges.

In the skillet, melt the remaining butter and add the flour (if you want thicker soup, add more flour). Whisk to mix and cook for a minute or so. Add a little of the fish water and quickly incorporate it to avoid lumping. Then add back to the sauce pan and whisk vigorously to incorporate. (If you choose to avoid the extra butter, incorporate the flour into an additional ¼ cup of water and add to the boiling water. Whisk vigorously to fully mix.

Bring to a simmer again and cook for 3-4 minutes (to cook the flour), whisking frequently to avoid the flour cooking to the pan bottom. When cooked, add and incorporate the milk, add back the vegetables; flake and add the fish and heat thoroughly. Remove the bay leaves; add salt and pepper to taste. A sprinkle of dill will to add color and flavor.

Serve hot, with or without croutons or chowder crackers.

You'll find myriad recipes on line for Panko Crumbs, and not a few sites which sell "authentic" Panko crumbs. They are great on casseroles, meat loaf, pork chops, chicken, fish, etc. I've played around myself and like to make them as follows. (They're much cheaper this way, and, I think, much better . . . especially with the addition at the end.)

1 medium loaf of potato bread
2 tbs. dried thyme, well crushed
2 tbs. dried basil, well crushed
1 tbs. chili powder (optional)
2 tsp. freshly, rather finely ground black pepper
¼ cup powdered pecorino Romano cheese

Air dry the bread for a day or two, but not until dry. Chop the loaf into smallish cubes and place in a Cuisinart (type of) chopper in batches. Pulse repeatedly until you have chopped the bread into very coarse crumbs. If you have more than 2 ½ to 3 cups, discard them, or adjust the volumes of additives.

Place them in a gallon size baggie and add all of the remaining ingredients. Shake to mix well, and spread on a cookie sheet (with edges.) Bake in a 325 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring and turning every 2-3 minutes. Crumbs should be baked until dry, without being browned.

Store them in 2 cup plastic containers: one in the refrigerator if you plan to use them within a few weeks; the rest can be frozen indefinitely if sealed tightly, and they don't need to be thawed to use. (I use the 1 pint cheese containers from the grocery.)

If you want a particularly unusual and very tasty variant--which is the only kind I use now, except on already savory dishes--add about ¼ lb.(+) of (fat trimmed) Prosciutto, chopped very fine in the Cuisinart. Add this to the mix along with the rest before baking.

Feel free to adjust the recipe to your own taste.

Four 5-6 oz. skinless, boneless Salmon fillets
2 Tbsp. Panko bread crumbs (or any coarse crumb)
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. basil pesto
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (optional if using my recipe for Panko crumbs)

Broil for 4-6 minutes, depending thickness of the Salmon (tuck thin ends beneath the heavier flesh. Turn really thick fillets once during the cooking time.)

Meanwhile, add pesto to mayo and set aside.

When Salmon is just beginning to flake, remove from oven, spoon pesto mixture over the fillets and spread evenly. Top with Panko (or other toasted bread) crumbs, sprinkle on the cheese and return to broiler to finish (one or two minutes, until crumbs are lightly browned.)

(As with all fish, I blot the cuts dry and, using a pasty brush, cover all sides and edges with lime juice for 15 minutes. Blot again before cooking. . . . and if especially "fishy," soak in milk for 15 minutes and blot before using the lime juice.)