James Martin Fish Chowder Recipes

SIMPLE SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and bacon. Cook for 8-10 mins until the onion is soft and the bacon is cooked. Stir in the flour, then cook for a further 2 mins.
• Pour in the fish stock and bring it up to a gentle simmer. Add the potatoes, cover, then simmer for 10-12 mins until the potatoes are cooked through.
• Add the mace, cayenne pepper and some seasoning, then stir in the milk.
• Tip the fish pie mix into the pan, gently simmer for 4 mins. Add the cream and shellfish, then simmer for 1 min more. Check the seasoning. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with some crusty bread.

HEARTY FISH CHOWDER FROM REYNOLDS WRAP®

Steps:

• Line a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with a Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liner. Open slow cooker liner and place it inside a slow cooker bowl. Fit liner snugly against the bottom and sides of bowl; pull top of liner over rim of bowl.
• Combine potatoes, onion, garlic, cream of celery soup, corn, lima beans, broth, white wine and lemon-pepper seasoning.
• Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, thaw fish if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels.
• Place fish on the mixture in the cooker. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Cover and cook for 1 hour more. Add undrained tomatoes and nonfat dry milk powder to cooker, stirring gently to break up the fish. Carefully remove lid to allow steam to escape. Serve directly from slow cooker liner using a wooden or plastic utensil. Do not lift or transport liner with food inside. Cool slow cooker completely; remove liner and toss.

CHUNKY FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, tip in the leeks and fry gently for 5 mins until softened, but not coloured. Add the potatoes and cook for a further min. Pour in stock and lemon zest, cover and simmer for 12-15 mins or until the potatoes are tender. With a slotted spoon, remove half the potatoes and leeks from the stock and set aside.
• Transfer the remaining potatoes, leeks, stock and milk into a blender or food processor and whizz until smooth. Pour back into the pan, add the sweetcorn, fish and reserved vegetables. Cover and gently heat for 3-4 mins until the fish is just cooked through - don't boil. Stir in chives and cream, if using, then season to taste.

BOSTON FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot fry the bacon or salt pork for 5 minutes. Drain off some of the fat, then add onions, bay leaves and thyme.
• When onions are translucent, add potatoes and fish stock; simmer until potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Add cream and whole fillets of fish, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into soup plates, trying not to break up the fish. Chowder is traditionally served with cream biscuits or common crackers.

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.