warming fish chowder

Life has been more down than up for us lately, and because of that, I turn to the kitchen. Also, it’s January, and every January I reignite my passion for food that calms, nourishes, and resets my happiness meter.

Shortly after Christmas I purchased a new cookbook (also a New Year’s tradition). McFadden’s Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables incorporates some new techniques and philosophies regarding locovorism. From declaring summer a three-season food experience to insisting on cooking with extra virgin olive oil exclusively (even for sautéing), there are some breakout sacred cows, and I’m loving the adventurous combinations of ingredients. Parsnip olive oil cake? Yes please.

Kirk and I were lucky enough to be invited to a fish chowder dinner at a friend’s house recently, and we caught the bug, so tonight I followed McFadden’s insistence on homemade croutons from farm style bread and sprinkled them atop my own chowder, and man, what deliciousness.

In service to spreading the love on this season of cold, windy, rainy (or bomb cyclone) weather, read on. I developed this recipe as a smerge of various online recipes + wisdom from McFadden. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs-without-tummy-ache sort of recipe (at least for me, the queen of tummy aches). It’s lighter than most chowders, and it just might fight off a chill.

Suzy Vitello’s Warming Fish Chowder

Ingredients

One pound of whatever combination of fish won’t cost more than $15 cut into chunks (I used a combo of shrimp, cod and halibut fillet–only a 1/3 lb. of halibut because that shit’s expensive!)
One quart of fish stock (splurge! You can also substitute chicken broth)
4 bay leaves
20 sprigs of fresh Thyme, stripped
1 Meyers Lemon
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 leek (the white part with just an inch of the green part), chopped
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, chopped
5 Yukon gold potatoes, mostly peeled and diced
Four strips of uncured bacon
1 ½ tsp pink Himalayan (or kosher) salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 loaf good quality bread torn into chunks
2 additional Tbs olive oil
1 cup 2% milk

My helper, who thinks he’s a centerfold.

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375°

Bake bacon in oven (I use a broiler pan) until brown but not crispy. Chop into small pieces. Leave oven on for croutons.

Bring a quart of salted water to a boil. Add bay leaves, celery and carrots and juice from half the lemon. If your halibut came with skin like mine did (for $23 a lb. you’d think they’d cut the slimy shit off at the New Seasons fish counter before selling it), slice it off and plunk that in the water as well. Hopefully your finger won’t be an accidental addition.

Immerse a colander containing the chunks of fish into the boiling water for 2 minutes (or until just cooked) and then remove and set aside.

Simmer mixture for 10 minutes before removing fish skin.

Sauté onions and leeks in the 2 Tbs olive oil and the butter.

Add fish stock, remaining lemon juice, and the homemade fish water concoction.

Add potatoes, bacon and thyme and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, mix bread chunks in 2Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on cookie sheet and toast in oven until light brown (7 or 8 minutes). Remove from oven, set aside.

Once potatoes are tender, stir in the milk.

I like to keep the fish separate and add to the individual bowls of hot soup.

Add croutons to individual bowls before serving, also, pick out the bay leaf.