I lived in New England in the early 80s. In fact, my oldest daughter was born in Boston. It is there that I developed a love for really good seafood and chowders – not the deep fried shrimp or thick, pasty soup of my youth in the Midwest.
My first taste of clam chowder soup was when my mother took us to a popular, local restaurant, now closed for many years, and we ate Noah’s Ark Clam Chowder. She didn’t tell us we were eating fish until after we had all eaten some and asked for seconds!
This really is a good memory, but a poor substitute for real New England Clam or Fish Chowder soups. The best chowders I had in New England were not the thick stuff we often see locally, but were more often brothy and creamy. And the clams and fish were never overcooked and chewy.
I adapted a recipe I ran across in an old cookbook to develop my very own Fish Chowder which is very much like what I used to eat and love when I lived in New England. My husband loves it, too, and he has never lived east of the Mississippi River!
The cast of characters.
Note on the fish: I used 2 tilapia filets, cut into bite sized chunks, 1/2 pound medium, raw shrimp which I shelled and deveined, and 1 6.5-ounce can of minced clams. I prefer to leave the shrimp whole because I think there’s nothing nicer than getting a nice bite of tender shrimp with this creamy broth.
You can use whatever fish you like, and it can be a little more or a little less than 1 pound. Or you can use 2 cans of minced clams, and you have Clam Chowder!
Brown the bacon, remove the bacon but not the fat from the pan, and saute onions until golden.
Note on onions: I use mild, white onions in this soup rather than my usual sweet, yellow onions. I think they work the best.
Add the clam juice and potatoes to the pot.
Add the uncooked fish and simmer on low for about 15 minutes until fish is cooked and potatoes are tender. Do not overcook or the fish and shrimp will be tough.
Add the cream, butter, and bacon bits. Bring back up to a simmer, and then it’s ready to serve.
Fish Chowder with oyster crackers (use gluten free crackers if you wish this to be gluten free) – ready to eat. This is very good the second day. Yummy!
Fish Chowder Serves 4, about 5 cups 2 strips of bacon Cut the bacon into pieces and put into the large saucepan in which you will be making the chowder. Fry slowly until the fat is rendered and the pieces are crispy. Remove the bacon pieces leaving the fat in the saucepan. Add the onions and cook over low heat until golden. Stir in the potatoes and toss until well coated. Add the broth or clam juice. Add the fish, and shrimp. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and fish is cooked. Stir in the clams, cream, and butter. Add the pork scraps. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring up to a simmer, but do not boil. Serve with oyster crackers.
1 medium white onion, sliced very thinly
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 8-ounce bottles of clam juice
1 pound of assorted firm, white fish cut into small chunks, peeled and deveined raw shrimp, and minced clams
1 cup cream
1 TB butter
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
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