Creamy fish soup! With cod or firm whitefish, Yukon Gold potatoes, onions, clam juice and cream.
My first job out of college was in Boston, in the downtown Financial District. My local friends did their best to introduce this wide-eyed Californian to New England traditions of all kinds, especially food.
We ate as many dishes as we could afford at the Union Oyster House and No Name Restaurant, and bought lobster at $5 a pound from the Italian Fishmonger across the street from where I lived in the North End.
The word chowder is believed to come from the French “chaudiere,” which is basically a large pot or cauldron used to cook such stews. There are many regional varieties of chowder.
New England-style chowder is white, with cream and potatoes. Traditional New England recipes call for first making fat from cured pork and then making a roux from flour.
Other recipes omit the salt beef but use lots of butter. Most recipes called for a very flavorful fish broth.
We use extra virgin olive oil and butter instead of bacon or cured meat for this particular fish chowder, which we think turned out exceptionally well. We leave out the flour and instead use cream and the starch from the potatoes to thicken the stew. Instead of fish broth, we use flavorful clam juice instead.
CONTINUE READING:
Fishsoup
Here in the west we get Pacific cod, which is considered a sustainable fish by Seafood Watch. Choose the best and most sustainable option available to you.
ingredients
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1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 teaspoon butter
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2 Middle yellow onionschopped (about 2 cups)
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1/2 Cup dry White wineOptional
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3 big Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
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2 cups clam juice
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1 bay Sheet
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1 tablespoon fresh thymeor 1 teaspoon dried thyme
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1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
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1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon Old Bayoptional (can use a little paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper)
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1 1/2 to 2 lb cod or other company white fishBone removed, fillets cut into 2-inch pieces
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1 1/2 cups heavy cream
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
method
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Sauté onions in oil and butter, add wine:
Heat the oil and butter in the bottom of a large saucepan (6 qt) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine, if using, and increase the heat, cooking uncovered, until the wine is reduced by half. (If not using wine, add 1/4 cup water with the clam juice in the next step.)
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Add potatoes, clam juice, spices, then simmer:
Add the potatoes, clam juice, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. (The potatoes should be just covered with the liquid in the pot. If not, add water to cover them.)
Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until potatoes are almost done, about 10-15 minutes.
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Heat cream:
In a separate saucepan, heat the cream until steaming (not boiling).
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Add fish to soup, add hot cream:
Put the fish in the potato pot and add the heated cream. Return to the stove. Cook uncovered over low heat until fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Watch out for the heat! If you use straight cream you should be able to avoid curdling better, even if the soup starts to boil. But if you substitute light cream, half and half, or milk, the mixture will likely curdle as it nears boiling point (one of the reasons I like to use straight cream).
Keep the temperature low so that it’s barely steaming but not simmering.
When the fish is just done, remove from the heat.
Mix in the parsley. Flavors improve if the soup sits 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers (not for the gluten-free version).
Links:
Origins of Chowder great article with recipes from the 1700’s and 1800’s by The Old Foodie
New England Chowder Compendium – Online archive of historic chowder recipes dating back to the 17th century
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 644 | calories |
| 36g | Fat |
| 37g | carbohydrates |
| 43g | protein |
