Fish Chowder
If you have read any of the stories on this blog, you will know that I’m kind of picky about fish—and until recently it had to be fresh. We ate fish a couple times a week for dinner but that all changed when I started going to the store only once a week. One morning I saw an ad for a local company delivering fish, so I placed an order. It was expensive and the serving sizes weren’t very big, but I was desperate! They had me at the first bite— it was packed with flavor and tasted fresh, so unlike the frozen cardboard-tasting fish I’d had a few years back. Let’s say I was hooked…
I started to look around for a less expensive option, which is not difficult as it happens—both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have excellent frozen fish. Now I am back to my old schedule of fish a couple times a week. One of the recipes I make this time of year is my fish stew; now I can make it with frozen cod, and it still tastes fresh as the sea.
Ingredients for fish chowder
Ingredients:
2 slices of bacon
I medium carrot peeled and diced about ½ cup
1 celery stalk washed and diced
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced red pepper
1 cup diced potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 8-ounce bottle clam juice, or fish stock
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 cup water
1 lb. of white fish, such as cod or halibut cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
oyster crackers
Instructions:
Warm a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and when cool break it up into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bacon fat but don’t wash out the pot. Add the butter and then toss in the diced carrots, celery, onion, and red pepper. Add a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Add the potatoes, sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to combine evenly. Cook for 2 minutes, then slowly add the clam juice, stirring continuously until the flour dissolves and the broth is smooth. Add the half-and-half and the water, lower the heat, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are slightly under cooked and then add the fish and the bacon. The fish cooks very quickly, maybe 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pour the chowder into individual bowls topped with diced parsley. Serve with oyster crackers on the side.
Photo by: Claudia Alexander