I am from New England so chowders are kind of a big thing here. Yes, and I mean dairy-based, not tomato-based (l’m looking at you Manhattan).
Tomato based is good, but it is a soup, NOT A CHOWDER. But we can leave that debate for another day… maybe.
I like to collect little bits of fish in my fridge until it gets to a critical mass and then I make a big pot of chowder. I always have frozen shrimp and scallops on hand as well. I prefer fresh, obviously, if I am doing a pan sear, but frozen is fine for this application.
I love cornbread to go with this meal. Follow this link to Jiffy Cornbread My Way. It goes great with this chowder.
New England Seafood Chowder
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: New EnglandDifficulty: Moderate6
servingsI keep frozen shrimp and scallops on hand for exactly this sort of use. I also buy whole sides of salmon at Costco and butcher it into portions, saving the trim for chowder like this. The salmon shown is the trim collected from a few trips to Costco. Almost any type or combination of fish works in this recipe.
Ingredients
½ Cup of Bacon (cut into 1” wide strips)
½ Each Large Carrot, Celery Stalk, Onion (medium chop)
½ Stick Unsalted Butter
2 Bottles Clam Juice (or fish stock)
1 Can Minced Clams (with juice)
1 Bay Leaf (optional)
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme (or substitute ½ Tsp dried)
1.5 Pint Cream (heavy or light works or even whole milk. See note 1)
2 Cups Assorted Cooked Veg (broccoli, brussel sprouts, corn, peas etc)
1 Cup Cooked Potatoes (cut in cubes, I actually use canned for this)
Assorted Fresh or Frozen Fish/Shellfish (cut into large bite sized pieces)
Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper (optional) to taste
Process
- Add bacon to a cold heavy bottom pan (I use a le Creuset #26 5.5 quart). Heat to medium high.
- Cook until bacon is fully rendered but not too crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, leaving bacon fat in pan (this will impart a smoky flavor to the chowder).
- Add carrots, celery and onions to bacon fat. Salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until starting to become tender.
- Add butter to pan and heat until melted.
- Pour clam juice into pan along with minced clams and their juice. Bring to simmer.
- Add salt and pepper to taste (and cayenne pepper, if using). Add thyme and bay leaf (if using). Add cream (or milk, see note 1 below).
- Add vegetables and potatoes. Add bacon back to pan. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Do not boil as this will likely break the cream (and also make a mess of your stove). Remove bay leaf if using. You now have a chowder base!
- After the chowder base is ready you could actually stop here and refrigerate (or even freeze) for a later time. If you refrigerate (or freeze) bring back to a simmer before adding the fish.
- Now it is time to add the fish. See Note 2. Continue simmering until fish is just cooked through. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
Notes
- 1. Using heavy cream will create very rich chowder, which I prefer. Light cream less so, and milk, less than that. The recipe work with any form of dairy but not 2% milk. This is not intended to be a diet recipe but if that is your requirement, go for it.
- 2. Each type of fish cooks at a different rate. My rule of thumb is that shellfish takes longest, then firm flakey fish, like halibut or swordfish, then softer fishes like salmon or cod. Add them in by the longest cooking time and do not overcook them. Overcooked fish is dry, so cook less than you think.
We just made the seafood chowder and it was amazing! Being from Colorado and limited travel to Boston this year, we had grown overly tired of red meat. Reading through these recipes, we were instantly drawn to the seafood chowder, though as novice at best in the kitchen, we were moderately intimidated to try a chowder. The recipe is exquisite, and the step by step details (process work instructions!) made it fun and easy to create.
Very interested in this beautiful chowda, Thank you for sharing. I’m from New England, RI, What’s unique is the vegetable choices. parents from Boston, Dad made chowda for Massachusetts little town bar. Beautiful dish 👌
Thank you for your note. I like to think about recipes like a suggestion. This version came to be… because like many of us… thats what I had.
What town did your Dad cook in? We are in Lexington MA.