Fish Chowder
A wonderful, light, herby chowder will send you right to the coast of New England.
Growing up, I always loved chowders. But the idea of making them was quite intimidating. I still have yet to endeavor the classic clam chowder. But then, a few summers ago, I lived with a woman who grew up in Massachusetts (hi Courtney) and she whipped up a quick chowder in the kitchen. I snuck a bite when she stepped out and I was completely blown away.
I crafted this recipe from a few online ones and am quite proud of the end result. A couple notes:
First, as with all dairy-based soups, keep your eye on the heat. If you are using heavy cream, you should be more easily able to avoid curdling, even if the soup starts to boil. But if you are substituting light cream, half and half, or milk, the mixture will likely curdle if it gets near boiling point. Generally, get the temperature to where the soup is steamy but not boiling.
Second, I got lazy with the herbs. I removed some of the herbs from the stems, but I ended up just throwing in whole herbs (stem and all) into the pot when the soup was cooking. I love the rosemary and thyme combo so I used a very heavy hand when adding them.
Third, a lot of this is adjustable depending on what you feel like buying. I opted for the fresh corn because it looked so beautiful at the store, as did the little bag of mini potatoes (plus they were easier to cut). I also use cod in his recipe but you can buy any white fish or seafood medley to throw in.
*yields about 4 servingsIngredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbps butter
2-3 carrots
1-2 celery
1 small yellow onion
1 can of corn, or 1 corn on the cob
1 medium potato, or a bunch of small potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
Bunch of thyme and rosemary
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used vermouth but any cooking or drinking wine will do)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 pound white fish (cod or haddock)
1.5 cups heavy cream
fresh parsley (optional)
Directions
Prepare vegetables: Finely chop carrots, onion, and celery. Wash and chop potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Drain or shuck corn. Mince garlic. Remove thyme and rosemary from stems.
Sauté vegetables: Heat 1 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter in the bottom of a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, garlic, fresh herbs, and paprika until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Cook soup: Add wine, turn up the heat and cook uncovered until the wine reduces by half. Mix in the potatoes and corn and toss to coat. Add chicken stock and water making sure the potatoes are covered with liquid (if not, add more water). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost done, about 10 minutes. (Optional: once cooked, you can use a potato masher and mash the potatoes in the pot if you want to release some of the starches and have a thicker broth).
Prepare cream and fish: In a separate pot, heat the cream until steamy (not boiling). Meanwhile, pat fish dry and cut into 1-inch cubes.
Finish and serve: Add fish to the pot of potatoes and stir in the heated cream. Cook on low heat, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Top with parsley and serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.
