Smoked Trout Chowder

If I'd just been rating on flavor this might have been a four but I think the recipe is a little wonky in the measurement department. I prefer fairly precise measurements for things like fennel where there can be a good bit of size variation in your selection in the produce department.

This recipe gives a weight measurement for the fennel prior to chopping off the stalks and coring it. I just don't find it all that useful to give a pre-trimming and chopping weight measurement. There is no weight or volume measurement at all for the one onion (no size specified) the recipe calls for. And 8 oz. seemed to be an awful lot of smoked trout for four cups of fluid. I used a six ounce package and that was more than enough. That said, this was pretty tasty and very quick.

I made two modifications -- I used all chicken stock rather than a mix of clam juice and stock, and I used half and half rather than heavy cream.