Fish Chowder

Bacon, potatoes, onion, fish fillets, and half-and-half. That’s the whole chowder. No flour thickener, no cream cheese, no shortcuts. The potatoes release enough starch during cooking to give the broth natural body, and the bacon drippings provide all the fat and flavor the base needs.

Starting the potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes before anything else goes in gives them a head start. They need to be tender by the time the fish is done, and fish fillets only take about 10 minutes to cook through. Without pre-cooking, you’d have raw potato chunks floating around overcooked fish.

Frying the bacon until transparent (not crispy) and cooking the onion in those drippings creates the savory foundation. Adding both the bacon, onion, AND the drippings to the potato pot is important. Those drippings carry the smoky pork flavor that defines a good fish chowder.

The fish fillets go in whole and break apart naturally during the 10-minute simmer. This gives you irregular, flaky chunks rather than uniform cubes, which is how a homestyle chowder should look. Half-and-half goes in last for a 5-minute warm-through that turns the broth creamy without curdling.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a firm white fish like cod, haddock, or halibut. Delicate fish like sole will dissolve completely during simmering.
• Don’t boil after adding the half-and-half. High heat will curdle the cream and give the chowder a grainy texture.
• A pinch of thyme is enough. Too much overpowers the fish.
• This chowder thickens as it sits. Thin with a splash of milk when reheating leftovers.

Variations

• Clam chowder: Add a can of chopped clams with their juice along with the fish for a mixed seafood chowder.
• Corn chowder base: Stir in a cup of corn kernels with the potatoes for a sweeter, heartier version.