New England Fish Chowder

Creamy fish chowder, inspired by New England "chowdah!"

Fish Chowder in a white bowl

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

My first job out of college was in Boston, in the financial district downtown. My local friends did their best to initiate this wide-eyed Californian into New England traditions of every sort, especially food.

We feasted on as many menu items as we could afford at the Union Oyster House and the No Name Restaurant, and $5/lb lobsters I would buy from the Italian fish monger across the street from where I lived in the North End.

One dish I could never get enough of was "chowdah". Clam chowder, fish chowder, seafood chowder, whatever, I loved it.

The word chowder is thought to come from the French "chaudiere", which is basically a large pot or cauldron used to cook stews like this. There are many regional varieties of chowder.

New England style chowder is white, with cream and potatoes. Traditional New England recipes call for starting out rendering fat from salt pork and then making a roux with flour.

Fish chowder in a decretive white bowl

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Other recipes skip the salt pork, but use a lot of butter. Most recipes called for a highly flavorful fish stock.

For this particular fish chowder, which we all agreed turned out exceptionally well, we are using extra virgin olive oil and butter instead of bacon or salt pork. We are skipping the flour and are instead using cream and the starch from the potatoes to thicken the stew. In place of fish stock, we are using flavorful clam juice instead.

New England Fish Chowder

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Servings 6 servings

Here in the west, we get Pacific cod, considered a sustainable fish by Seafood Watch. Pick the best, most sustainable option available to you.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon butter

  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 2 cups)

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, optional

  • 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

  • 2 cups clam juice

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay, optional (can use a little paprika and a dash of cayenne)

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds cod or other firm white fish, pin bones removed, fillets cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method

  1. Sauté the onions in oil and butter, add wine:

    Heat oil and butter in the bottom of a large pot (6-qt) on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

    Add the wine, if using, and turn up the heat, cook, uncovered until the wine reduces by half. (If not using wine, add a 1/4 cup of water with the clam juice in the next step.)

  2. Add the potatoes, clam juice, spices, then simmer:

    Add the potatoes, clam juice, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, and Old Bay spice. (The potatoes should be just barely covered with the liquid in the pot. If not, add water so that they are.)

    Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost done, about 10-15 minutes.

  3. Heat the cream:

    In a separate pot, heat the cream until steamy (not boiling).

  4. Add the fish to soup, add hot cream:

    Add the fish to the pot of potatoes and add the heated cream. Return to the stove. Cook on low heat, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes.

    Keep your eye on the heat! If you are using straight 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 (one of the reasons I like using straight heavy cream).

    Keep the temperature so that it barely gets steamy, but not simmering.

    When the fish is just cooked through, remove from heat.

    Mix in the parsley. The flavors will improve if the soup rests 30 minutes before serving.

    Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers (not for gluten-free version).

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
644 Calories
36g Fat
37g Carbs
43g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 644
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36g 46%
Saturated Fat 16g 81%
Cholesterol 188mg 63%
Sodium 837mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 13%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 43g
Vitamin C 19mg 97%
Calcium 133mg 10%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 1652mg 35%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.