Rib-Sticking Chowder

Since we’re still locked into winter, I’m still cooking those bolster-a-body soups known as chowders. According to whatscookingamerican.net, the word ‘chowder’ is purported to come from the Latin ‘calderia’ = caldron = the French chaudiere + the word ‘ jowter,’ an old English word for a fish peddler. Or something like that.

For now we’ll ignore chowders that are dieters’ delights, the varieties that start with a clear broth. I’m not talking about those.  I’m talking about those thick, creamy, potato-and-fish and, sometimes corn or winter squash jobs that are substantial enough to send you out into the snow or back to work hauling in trawling lines.

Clam chowder, a New England specialty whose first incarnation I knew as quahog chowdah, is probably the most well known of these. Most clam chowders start with chopped bacon sautéed in a heavy pot, which adds tons of flavor (and cholesterol and calories, sadly). Then you add onions, chopped clams, flour to make a roux, some broth or clam liquor, chopped potatoes and finally cream. Heaven.

The variations on that theme can be elegant enough for company. Salmon chowder is made with salmon stock* to which is added a sautéed chopped onion and a little chopped celery, white wine, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and dill and maybe a little hot sauce. Thicken it the old-fashioned way with a knob of butter mashed together with a tablespoon or two of flour stirred into the bubbling soup. Add either raw or cooked salmon toward the end, but either way be sure not to overcook the fish or you’ll end up with mush instead of definable chunks of fish. Just before serving, stir in a generous dollop of heavy cream.

Rob Etgen, Director of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, makes a lovely rockfish chowder. He bakes the fish whole, slathered in mayo to keep it moist, until JUST flakey.  Depending on his time and energy, he’ll either make his own white sauce base or use a can of cream of mushroom soup. Then he adds chopped onions that have been sautéed in a little butter, potatoes half-steamed and cubed, sweet corn, generous lashings of Old Bay, and finally, just before serving, the cooled chunks of fish. “I like to leave skin on so you can tell what kind of fish you’re eating,” he says.

https://www.chowderrecipes.net/

https://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Soups-Stews-and-Chili/Chowders/Main.aspx

https://www.hungrymonster.com/recipe/recipe-search.cfm?Course_vch=Chowder&ttl=16

*Salmon stock is easy to make if you get a whole fresh salmon. Fillet it or have the fish department do that and take home both fillets and the frame with the head.  (I fillet my own, broil some with homemade curry mustard that evening and freeze the rest for later). Dump frame and head into a stockpot with a quartered onion, some celery tops, a carrot, some white wine, half a lemon, salt and pepper and simmer for about an hour. Strain. You can freeze this in quarts for use in shrimp or lobster bisques as well as fish chowders.