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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:

• 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.