Classic New England fish chowder is the official comfort food of summer: tender cod, diced new potatoes, and bacon in a creamy broth. Ok, maybe a few kernels of corn. Cue the ocean breeze!
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We all have a few meals that become part of our story ~ they survive moves, busy years, picky kids, and changing tastes until they become part of the fabric of the family.
Fish chowder is one of those meals for us. I learned to make it when we lived on the New Hampshire and Maine seacoasts where it was a year round favorite ~ huddled in a dockside pub during a snowstorm, or sitting at a boardwalk picnic table in high summer. Chowder of all kinds has become a Great Island staple.
Chowder is a family favorite
âž¡ This is a delicately flavored soup, with an emphasis on creamy textures and the subtle comforting flavors of the fish and potatoes.
➡ It’s rich and cozy enough for winter, but chowder is strongly tied to the coast, seafood shacks, and cool summer evenings by the water.
➡ New England fish chowder is a meal in itself, so there’s no need to overthink the sides. Traditionally you’d serve it simply with oyster crackers, saltines, or a hunk of bread for soaking up the creamy broth.
Choosing fish for a classic fish chowder
- Cod is my choice, I love the clean flavor and its flaky texture.
- Scrod is simply baby cod, and it works beautifully too.
- Halibut is also traditional, but can be harder to find, and expensive.
- Any fresh, firm white fish works like haddock, pollock, or hake.
Note these choices are for a classic fish chowder, but I’ve made delicious chowder with salmon, and even smoked salmon!
How to keep the fish from falling apart in chowder
This is one of the challenges of making chowder ~ the fish can easily disintegrate into the milky broth if you’re not careful.
MY SECRET: add the fish at the very end and let it poach gently in the hot chowder. Don’t boil it, and don’t stir much once the fish goes in. I like to lay the pieces over the top, cover the pot, and let the residual heat do the work until the fish is just opaque and flakes easily. This keeps the chunks tender and intact instead of breaking them into shreds.
Milk or cream for fish chowder?
My latest thinking on this, after decades of making and loving fish chowder, is that milk is best. If you want a little extra richness you can add a dash of cream, but milk keeps the soup from feeling heavy.
One of the hallmarks of a true new England chowder is that it is not super thick. Traditional New England fish chowder is usually brothy, milky, and relatively thin, not gloppy. The thick, stand-a-spoon-up chowder is a modern restaurant/diner style.
Classic fish chowder should feel simple and coastal: milk, potatoes, onion, butter/salt pork, fish, maybe crackers on the side.
You asked…
Traditional chowder was made with salt pork, something sailors and fishermen had on hand. They rendered the fat first and used it to start the soup, adding salt and richness to the lean fish. Bacon is our modern stand-in.
I say yes. You don’t have to with thin skinned potatoes, but I do because I don’t want the peel interfering with the creamy texture of the chowder.
Yes, especially when you use milk instead of cream. Cod may not have the omega-3 richness of salmon, but it’s a lean, protein-rich fish that’s low in saturated fat and a good source of B vitamins, selenium, and iodine.
Yes! Fish chowder is truly better the next day. It allows the fish flavors to develop, just reheat gently.
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New England Fish Chowder
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb thin skinned potatoes, I use Yukon Gold
- 2 bay leaves, Or use fresh thyme bundle
- 3 ears corn, kernels removed
- 3 strips bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 Tbsp flour, I use Wondra flour
- 3 cups whole milk, or more for thinner chowder
- 1 lb cod loins, cut into large chunks
- sea salt and white pepper to taste
garnish
- snipped chives
- crumbled bacon
- oyster crackers
Instructions
- Into a saucepan add the potatoes, bay leaf or thyme, and enough water/stock/clam juice just to cover them.. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10–15 minutes. Add the corn kernels at the last minute to tenderize them.
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve for garnish, but leave a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan. Add the butter to the pot.
- Add the onion and cook gently until soft but not browned. Add the flour and stir, cooking for just a minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add the potatoes and corn, along with 1 cup of their cooking liquid to the soup pot and stir well. Add the milk and bring up to a gentle simmer (don't boil.)
- Add the cod to the pot and cover. Turn off the heat and let the chowder sit for 30 minutes. This will gently cook the cod.
- Reheat to barely a simmer, and check the seasonings. Add sea salt and white pepper as needed.
- The chowder can be served right away, or cooled and refrigerated until needed. It's even better the next day when the flavors have had a change to develop.
- Serve topped with snipped chives, crumbled bacon, and oyster crackers.
Notes
Nutrition
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