Codfish Chowder Recipes

NEWFOUNDLAND COD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large, heavy saucepan, cook bacon over medium high heat for about 10 minutes or until crisp.
• Chop the cooked bacon coarsely and set aside.
• Drain off all but 1 tablespoons bacon fat from saucepan.
• Add onions and savory to the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.
• Add potatoes, carrots, water and salt.
• Bring to boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender.
• Add the cod chunks; simmer for about 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
• Add milk and pepper, heat through.
• Serve in bowls and garnish with the bacon and chives.

CODFISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a soup pot over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in the pot. Cook and stir onion and red bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and seafood seasoning and cook and stir 2 more minutes.
• Pour in chicken broth and stir in potatoes and corn; add water if needed to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in milk and butter until butter has melted; mix in reserved bacon. Bring the soup just to the boiling point and stir in cod and parsley; cook, stirring occasionally, until fish flakes easily, 5 to 8 minutes.

NEW ENGLAND FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat a 4 to 6 quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced salt pork. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the pork is a crisp golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cracklings to a small ovenproof dish; reserve.
• Add the butter, onions, savory or thyme, and bay leaves to the fat in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions have softened but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and stock. If the stock doesn't cover the potatoes, add a little water. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and boil the potatoes vigorously until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center, about 10 minutes. If the stock hasn't thickened slightly, smash a few of the potato slices against the side of the pot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• Reduce the heat to low and season assertively with salt and pepper (you want to almost over season at this point in order to avoid having to stir once the fish is added). Add the fish fillets and cook over a low heat until the fish is almost done, 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the chowder to sit for 10 minutes (the fish will finish cooking during this time).
• Gently stir in the cream and taste for salt and pepper. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate (only cover the chowder after it has chilled completely). Otherwise, let it sit for up to an hour at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld.
• When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over a low heat; don't let it boil. Warm the cracklings in a low oven (220 degrees F) for a few minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to mound the chunks of fish, the onions, and potatoes in the center of large soup plates or shallow bowls, ladle the creamy broth around and scatter the cracklings over top. Finish each serving with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and minced chives.
• Melt the butter in a heavy 7 to 8-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and peppercorns and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables become very soft without browning, about 8 minutes.
• Place the fish head on the vegetables and stack the fish frames evenly on top. Pour in the wine, cover the pot tightly and let the bones sweat until they have turned completely white, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add enough very hot or boiling water (approximately 2 quarts) to just barely cover the bones. Give the mixture a gentle stir and allow the brew to come to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, carefully skimming off any white foam that comes to the surface (try to leave the herbs, spices and vegetables in the pot).
• Remove the pot from the stove, stir the stock again and allow it to steep undisturbed for 10 minutes. Ladle through a fine-mesh strainer and season lightly with salt. If you are not going to be using the stock within the hour, chill it as quickly as possible.
• Cover the stock after it is thoroughly chilled (it will have a light jellied consistency) and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Saute onions, mushrooms and celery in butter until tender.
• Add chicken stock and potatoes; simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add fish, and simmer another 10 minutes.
• Mix together clam juice and flour until smooth; stir into soup and simmer for 1 minute more. Season to taste with Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in evaporated milk. Top each bowl with crumbled bacon, if desired.

FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cut cod fillets into bite sized pieces.
• Melt margarine in large saucepan Cook onion and celery until onion is tender and translucent. Add potatoes, carrots, water, salt and pepper.
• Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
• Add fish and cook 10 minutes longer.
• Add milk.
• Reheat, but do not boil.
• Serves 4.
• Serve hot, with freshly baked home made bread or rolls and butter.

FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until light golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring, until almost no liquid remains, about 45 seconds.
• Add potatoes, stock, clam juice, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender but not falling apart, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; season fish with salt and stir in with cream. Heat until warmed through and fish is opaque throughout, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Rinse the fish and place in a kettle with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Add water to cover, at least two and one-half cups, and bring to a simmer over gentle heat. Cover the kettle and let simmer, 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through but still firm-textured. (If necessary, you may cut the fish in half in order to fit the kettle.) Remove the fish from the broth. Skin and bone the cooked fish, break the flesh into chunks and set aside. Return the skin and bones, as well as head and tail pieces, to the broth and continue to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes to give a well-flavored broth for the chowder.
• Melt the butter in another soup kettle and gently saute the diced salt pork until the scraps have rendered their fat and turned crisp and brown. Remove the pork, drain on absorbent paper and set aside.
• In the hot fat, saute the onion slices gently until they begin to brown. Then add the potato cubes and turn in hot fat to coat them well. When the potatoes begin to sizzle, add at least two cups of fish broth, strained of the bay leaves and peppercorns. The potatoes should be floating, but not drowning, in the liquid. Simmer gently, covered, until the potatoes are tender enough to pierce with a fork.
• Add the fish pieces and continue simmering another five minutes.
• Heat the whole milk to just below boiling. Add it, a quarter of a cup at a time, to the chowder. Heat the evaporated milk and add it in a similar fashion. From the moment the milk is added, the chowder must not boil. This is very important. If it boils, it may curdle.
• Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper and the dry mustard powder. Mix well. Then put the chowder ''to set,'' as they say in Maine, for at least two hours. Ideally, it should be placed on the least warm area of the woodstove top where it will stay just below the simmering point. A very low gas flame, as long as the chowder doesn't boil, will do as well. If you can't keep it at a temperature just below boiling, it is better to refrigerate the chowder for a day, rather than leaving it at room temperature.
• When ready to serve, reheat the chowder, without bringing to the boil. Put a pat of butter in each chowder bowl before filling it, and sprinkle bits of browned pork scraps over the top. Pass the crackers to add to the soup.

NEW ENGLAND FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Cook onions until tender but not browned. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper and water. Top with fish. Simmer, covered, until potatoes are fork-tender, 20-25 minutes. , In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until bubbles form around side of saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk and remaining butter; add to fish and potato mixture. If desired, season with additional salt and pepper. Heat through.

COUNTRY FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook onion and bacon over medium heat until bacon is crisp; drain. Add milk, corn, clams, potatoes, butter, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes., Stir in fish and heat through. Ladle into bowls. If desired, top with bacon and chives.

FRENCH FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cut the fish into 1-inch cubes.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or kettle, and add the onions, celery, garlic and peppers. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add turmeric, saffron, wine, tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, pepper flakes, fish broth or water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the orzo, stir well and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until the orzo is tender.
• Add the fish, stir, bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle with basil and serve with the garlic croutons.