Fish Chowder, Take 1
A favorite pre-Kosher dining spot of mine was Legal Sea Foods, now with locations along the eastern seaboard. Since I missed their fish chowder so much, I found their recipe, which is entirely kosher without alteration. The fish stock it requires, though, made it a bit too difficult, so I’ve substituted vegetable broth (try Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth) and water. I also added some potatoes (peeled, pre-cut Yukon Gold) and sage. It’s not as thick as I remember, but it is delicious.
New England Fish Chowder
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 1.5 quarts
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/8 cup finely grated carrots
1 teaspoon minced/crushed garlic
1/4 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups diced Yukon Gold potatoes
1 pinch ground sage
3 cups water
2 pounds white fish (e.g. cod)
1 cup light cream
1/4 cup finely grated Monterey Jack cheese
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the butter in a large pot, and saute the onions, carrots, and garlic in it, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and slowly stir in the flour. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the vegetable broth and the water, and heat in a large pot or in the microwave.
- Whisk the stock into the flour mixture. Add the potatoes and sage.
- Bring the stock to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the fish, whole or in chunks, and simmer about 10 minutes longer.
- Stir in the cream and the cheese, and simmer until the cheese melts, about 5 to 8 minutes. (You won’t distinguish the cheese as such, it is incorporated into the chowder.) Reheat the chowder slowly so the cream doesn’t boil.
- Season with plenty of kosher salt and black pepper. Serve with crusty bread, or in a bread bowl. Can be refrigerated for a few days, or frozen indefinitely.
thanks, just what i was looking for. i just had the chowder for the first time, and it really was good. so simple too. l just try to get monterey jack cheese in israel!
This chowder is fabulous!
I prepared the chowder with tilapia and mozzarella cheese, as they were the fresh white fish and cheese I had on hand in the kitchen, and used heavy cream instead of light. The chowder came out as rich and flavorful as any I’ve ever tried(*), and it definitely won over my husband, who never before sampled a fish chowder.
We paired the chowder with homemade cornbread, and the duo made for a hearty, satisfying meal. Highly recommended!
(*) I also used a bit more flour than called for in the posted recipe. It is possible that additional flour, and replacing the light cream with heavy, are the trick to capturing Legal Seafood’s texture. I never sampled their chowder, so I can’t say how close mine came to their mark.
Indeed, the printed recipe needs some tweaking. I made an awesome version for Simchat Torah, but neglected to write down the proportions. I have a couple pounds of mahi mahi in the freezer — maybe I’ll do the chowder again this week.
If I recall correctly, your adjustments are on the mark — I used more flour and more fat. I would recommend using a non-stringy cheese, though, like muenster, mild cheddar, or havarti, when jack isn’t available.
A great recipe for a hearty main dish soup (just add a salad and challah / bread and you’re good to go). I used pollock fish so the soup was sweet and not overly fishy tasting. The Yukon Gold potatoes are a great choice because they stay firm and don’t dissolve during cooking.