It's no secret that New Englanders have a particular reverence for chowders of all kinds, and on dreary winter days like those we've been getting, there's nothing we crave more. And with good reason! Whether it's a creamy oyster soup or a chunky broth of fish and potatoes, the simple pairing of starch with seafood restores the spirit and warms us to our toes.
Chowders are also a great way to support local fisheries during what is an off-peak purchasing season in many areas of the country. Check out your local markets to see what's fresh or find out what seafoods are recommended for your region on the Seafood Watch List put out by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
New England Fish Chowder
Serves 4-6
2 oz (2-3 strips) bacon, diced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 - 2 cans (16 oz) light-amber beer (like Miller, Budweiser, or Busch)--enough to cover
2 1/2 cups milk (use whole or 2% milk for best taste and texture)
2 lbs fresh, lean white fish (like haddock, flounder, sole, or tilapia), cut into palm-sized chunks.
Salt and pepper to taste
Saltines, oyster crackers, or a hunk of freshly made No-Knead Bread for garnish
In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until it's crisp and has released most of its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Stir the onions occasionally until they are soft and translucent, but not browned--about ten minutes. (If the onions start to brown, lower the heat a bit.) Add the potatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt, bay leaf and thyme. Cook for a few minutes until the potatoes are soft just around the edges, then add enough of the beer to cover the onions and potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender--about 15 minutes.
Set the fish on top of the potatoes and onions. Cover the pot and continue simmering until the fish is opaque and just barely breaks apart under pressure--about 10 minutes. Pour the milk over the soup and stir gently with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the fish apart too much at this point. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, and cook for another 15-30 minutes. Stir in the reserved bacon and break apart the fish into bite-sized chunks. Remove the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste.
This soup is even better the next day and will keep up to a week. If you want to freeze some of the soup, remove the portion you want to freeze before adding the milk.
Related Links
• NY Fish Markets
• SF Fish Markets
• Good Question: Is it cruel to throw away oysters?
• Eat Fresh - Winter
• No-Knead Bread in a Hurry
• Ocean-Friendly Seafood Guide
This is by Emma, who is up for one of our new writer positions. Welcome Emma!
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I am sorry, but you cannot brand this "New England" without having clams in it as well. It's not allowed. I would simply add chopped clams and juices right before adding the beer.
Another way would be to substitute the beer and milk for corn stock (simmer corn ears with your typical stock veg) and heavy cream. Add the unused corn kernals to the chowder at the end.
Thanks, Emma! This looks like a great recipe.
We're definitely in the chowder months of winter. Last week, we made a simple corn, celery, and potato chowder with a touch of bacon - no seafood - following an old Amish recipe that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle. We'll make it again.
This recipe sounds like a great idea while February has her nasty grip on us! But why not do something more interesting than a lightly malty beer? With the potato creaminess of a chowder, I'd go for something a bit heavier --- maybe a scotch ale, or a bitter? More character, but still without much hops. Then again, I do like to cook with beer!
You are reading my mind...I just bought all the supplies for clam chowder for tomorrow night's dinner. Oh, I am so excited! keep up the good writing, and mind reading!
That does sound yummy, although I've never cooked with beer before.
And is it just me, or does anyone else think it's slightly amusing that an aquarium is making seafood recommendations? I know Monterey is a big fishing community, but I'm still giggling. "Awwww, the sea otters are soooo cute! And they look mighty tasty, too."
Great recipe, great writing, and the perfect cozy winter dish.
It even makes die-hard NYC-ers (who are into a surprising amount of beef stews) crave the blustery shores of New England.
Beer Chowdah = wicked good eats. Great recipe, Emma. I'll be sure to try this one out when the next nor'easter hits!
I definitely will be cooking this chowder sometime soon. I like that it has milk & not cream as a base. One of the reasons I stay away from many chowders is that apart from the actual fish, the rest is on the "I can't eat that" list. I can't wait to try this recipe from Emma's creative and resourceful bag of recipes.
Cannot wait to try this!!! Thanks, Emma!
This sounds delisch! I will definitely try this one too. Even while it's not so cold out. And thanks for the note on freezing. That is really helpful since I often make more of a recipe than I will eat in a week and like to freeze the rest so I have easy, quick home-cooked meals available when I don't have time to cook. Thanks!
As someone who loves chowder but is not a fan of clams, this recipe is perfection! I have a pot simmering on my stove right now, can't wait to dig in. The hardest part for me? Not eating all the bacon up before I add it to the soup...this is the problem with cooking while hungry. Thanks for sharing!
Anybody have an idea of how to make this work for those of us who are severely lactose intolerant? I love chowder but I will be sick all night if I was to eat this, and I don't know if soy milk would work with this, I would think the taste would be a bit off?
gussiebuns, was thinking the same thing. I wonder if almond milk would work. Will have to try it!