This thick, rich chowder is a New England classic, filled with potatoes, onion, and tender chunks of white fish in a savory combo of flavorful fish stock and cream. Serve it with crusty bread, or the old-fashioned way, with enough oyster crackers to bury it.
Ingredients
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, diced
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boiling or all-purpose potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), peeled and diced
2 pounds cod or haddock filets, cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Methods/Steps
Cook the bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat. When the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pot and set it aside, leaving the rendered bacon fat in the pot.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, onions, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot, and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened but not browned, 5-7 minutes.
Add the potatoes and diluted Fumet de Poisson Gold®, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are almost done, tender on the outside but still a little firm in the center.
Add the fish and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the liquid just at a simmer.
Stir in the cream and simmer just for a minute or so, until the chowder is warmed through. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Serve the chowder ladled into warmed bowls and sprinkled with the parsley and reserved bacon.
