Mild Fish Chowder

This fish chowder goes easy on the richness. No cream, no milk, just chicken broth thickened with a light leek and flour roux for a chowder that’s surprisingly full-bodied without being heavy. Both fresh white fish and canned tuna go in together, giving you two different textures and flavors in every spoonful.

The leeks sautéed with green onions and mixed with flour create a thickening base that gets stirred into the simmering broth. It gives the chowder that slightly creamy consistency chowder needs without any dairy. The potatoes help too, releasing starch as they cook and adding more body to the broth.

Rice simmering alongside the potatoes is an unusual touch. Just 2 tablespoons adds subtle thickening and gives you occasional soft grains scattered through the soup. The fish goes in during the last 5 minutes so it barely cooks through. Overcooking mild white fish like turbot turns it into flavorless mush.

Kitchen Tips

• Add the tuna with its canning liquid. That liquid carries flavor and adds savory depth to the broth. Don’t drain it.
• Cut potatoes into small, uniform cubes so they cook through in the 20-minute simmer. Large chunks need longer and the rice would overcook.
• Dill and fish are a classic pairing. Use fresh dill if you can find it, roughly triple the amount called for with dried.
• The frozen corn goes in with the fish at the end. It only needs a few minutes to heat through and stays sweet and firm.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of evaporated milk in the last 5 minutes for a creamier, more traditional New England-style chowder.
• Swap the white fish for salmon for a heartier, more flavorful version.
• Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice right before serving to brighten everything up.