Serves 6 to 8

This recipe takes a bit longer to cook than others , so prepare to wait ( at least 24 hours) You may use another stock, but this one goes perfectly with the chowder!

Ingredients:

• Fish
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 2 pounds lean fish fillets _ haddock, cod, hake _ in 2 – inch cubes

The Stock, if needed (Some keep a supply frozen)
Heads and bones of filleted fish
6 cups water
1 cup dry white wine

Chowder
4 cups thinly sliced onions
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
5 to 6 cups stock (from above or prepared otherwise)

Sachet d’e’pice
2 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried summer savory
2 bay leaves, crumbled into small bits

½ tsp. saffron threads
2 tsp. salt, if desired
2 pounds (about 5 cups) new potatoes peeled and sliced into 1 –inch – by ¼ – inch – thick slices.
½ cup light or heavy cream (you may wish to use more)
Minced fresh basil or thyme, optional, to garnish

Preparation:

Crush the salt, minced garlic, and thyme in a mortar and let it turn into a paste. You may also chop it with a large knife. Then cut the fish into cubes and place in a bowl. When you have finished cutting, sprinkle the paste over it and spread it thoroughly with your hands. Let it season over night in the fridge , or if you are in a hurry for just a few hours.

With a knife or some kitchen shears, cut and then discard the fish gills

Chop the skeletons or frames in big pieces and then add to the water in a large pan. Then let it simmer for about five minutes or until you are able to easily pull the meat off the bones. Reserve this and refrigerate for twenty minutes. Then put the bones in the kettle again and add the wine. Continue to simmer this gently for about twenty minutes. Then put it through a strainer with wet cheesecloth. Throw away the bones

Sweat the onions and the garlic in olive oil in a big pan until  they are soft and golden  which will take about 10 minutes, over a medium heat. When it has cooked, add  in the flour and cook for about two minutes.  Then pour in the fish stock and the sachet, steep saffron in 1/4 cup hot water and then add to the pot. You may season to your preference if you wish. Then bring it to a boil, and make sure to stir.

Add potatoes and simmer gentle for 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
When potatoes are done, stir in both the cooked and raw fish pieces. Gentle cook for about 2 minutes or until the outsides of the fish pieces turn white. Do not overcook fish.

Cool this pot of chowder as quickly as possible, try putting it in a sink and have cold water run around it. Then refrigerate it covered overnight. During this time, the flavors will peak!

Then warm the soup over a low heat and add the cream so that the chowder gets its color and is rich. Then put in a dash of fresh herbs, and serve it all in hot bowls. Serve with crackers.

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Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 4 pound haddock
• 8 cups cold water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 spray thyme
• 1 stalk celery
• ½ pound ground fat salt pork
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 cups milk
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cut the fish into squares, and place the fish head and the bones in a deep pan. Then add in cold water and the bay leaf and the celery. Simmer this for about fifteen minutes and then strain. Render the fat from the salt pork and then remove the cracklings. Add the onions to the fat. Cook the onions until they are soft and golden. Then add the flour and blend. Then add in the potatoes and the bouillon. Simmer this for about fifteen minutes and then add the fish that you have cut. Simmer it all until the fish is done, which is about ten minutes. Then add the milk and bring it all to a boil. Season to your preference and you are ready to serve!

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Serves 6

There are several layers in this dish that all add up to turn into a very delicious dish.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound salt pork, in ¼ – inch cubes
• 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 16 – ounce can tomatoes or 5 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped.
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ cup each ketchup and chili sauce
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt, to taste, if desired
• 1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 green or red sweet peppers, in ¼ – inch dice
• 2 pounds fillet of grouper, sea bass, drum or red snapper, Cut into 1- inch pieces
• ½ pound unsalted crackers (or saltines will do)
• 4 or 5 cups fish stock or clam juice, approximately
• 1 cup dry sherry or white wine

Preparation:

You must note that the first 12 ingredients will all be cooked into a thick sauce to add on to the layers.

Render the fat from the salt pork in a pan, do this until it becomes brown and crisp. This will take about eight minutes. Do not let this burn, then lift the pork cracklings out with a spoon. Then pour out the fat and discard.

Then saute the onions in a pot over medium heat until it is well cooked and soft. This will take about ten minutes. Do not let it burn.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, the ketchup, the tomato paste, the chili sauce, the Tabasco sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, the thyme, the bay leaves, and the lime juice. Stir this well to blend. Then cook it all over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add salt if you so wish.

While the sauce is cooking, peel the potatoes and then slice it thinly, at this same time, slice the peppers.

In a medium pan, add in this order : layers of fish, raw potatoes, sweet peppers, 12 or so crackers, and lastly the tomato mixture.

Then add the stock or clam juice so that you have added 1 inch to the top layer. Let this simmer for about two hours. When the chowder is almost done, add the sherry or the wine.

Now you are ready to serve. Pour the chowder into large bowls. Serve with some salad and perhaps some fruit for a nice display!

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Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 ½ to 4 pound haddock or cod
2 inch cube fat salt pork
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cups potatoes, sliced
4 cups hot milk
1 tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Preparation:

Take cut up fish and add in three cups of water, then cook until it is done. Then cut the pork into tiny pieces and fry it until it reaches a golden color. Then take away the pork scraps. Add onions to the fat and enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until they are almost tender and done. Then add in the fish, the milk, the seasonings, and the pork scraps. If you wish, simmer it all for ten minutes. Now you are ready to serve it ! Serve with some pickles and some crackers.

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6 serving

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. dry sherry or nonalcoholic wine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 ½ cups defatted chicken broth
• 3 ½ cups peeled and cubed potatoes
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground celery seeds
• 2 ½ cups frozen whole kernel yellow corn
• 1 cup whole or 2% low – fat milk
• 12 ounces skinless salmon fillets cut into ½” cubes
• ½ tsp. salt (optional)

Preparation:

In a big  pan, add in the onions, sherry/wine, garlic and 2 tablespoon of broth. Cook this over a medium heat for nine minutes, or until the onions are  tender and golden. (If you feel it is necessary, add more broth)

Then add in the potatoes, the carrots, the thyme, the dill, the mustard, the pepper, the celery seeds and the rest of the broth.  Then bring this all to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost tender, and remember to stir.

Then add in the corn and 1/2 cup of the milk. Cover this and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender.

Take about half of this mixture and put it in a blender. Blend until it becomes pureed. Then once again, return the mixture to the pan. Then add in the salmon and the rest of the milk. Let it simmer for about eight minutes and season to your taste. You may now serve

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Serves 6 people

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium – size ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound),
• peeled, cored, seeded, and chopped, or 1 can
• (1 pound) low – sodium tomatoes, chopped, with
• their juice
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled pinch cayenne
• Pepper
• ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• ½ pound cod or other white fish fillets, cut into
• Bite – size pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley

How to Prepare:

1. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderate heat; add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, and wine, and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2. Add the water, cover, and bring to a simmer – about 3 minutes. Mix in the cod and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the parsley.

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At one time, Coastal New England‘s chowder was a simple combination of fish or clams with water, pork, and onions, thickened with flour. The Portuguese prepared a richer version using olive oil, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic. By the middle of the nineteenth century, a true New England chowder was a milky stew, served with water biscuits or hardtack of a rock like texture that was meant to be crumbled and soaked in the chowder as filler. Salt cod substituted when fresh fish was unavailable. Lobster, once considered a food of the poor, has become a luxury and is served here at its simplest boiled. A true down easter prefers his lobster boiled or steamed, flavored with nothing more than the sea water in which it cooks.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound salt cod
• 1 pound fresh cod fillet, skin removed
• 1 pound halibut fillet, skin removed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ¼ pound fresh pork fatback
• 2 cups peeled, diced, waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold
• Freshly milled black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

How to Prepare

Soak the cod water and cover for 12 hours, changing the water 2 or 3 times. Or until the salt is gone.
Cut all of the fish in 1 ½ – inch cubes. Cover and refrigerate.
In a soup kettle, melt the butter over moderate heat.
Add the heavy cream, milk, and thyme and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice the fatback and cook over moderate heat until rendered golden brow.
Drain on paper towels and set aside on a warm part of the stove.
Add the potatoes to the chowder and simmer until the potatoes are almost fork – tender.
Add the fish and simmer for about 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Season to taste with pepper.
Serve the rendered pork on the side and let each guest sprinkle some over the chowder.

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