Fish Chowder

 

With temperatures becoming increasingly chilly this January, I've been craving cozy, comforting soups!  The other day, my husband mentioned he'd love a good fish chowder so I set out to look for one that fit the bill.  After some tweaking and big thumbs up from the family (and hardly any leftovers because we kept getting up to get more), I think this will be our go-to for when we get a hankering for a good seafood chowder.

I won't lie - after making this again and taking photos, I scarfed that bowl of chowder so fast and went back for more a few times throughout the day; however, I won't feel guilty because I remember someone telling me once that we need to store more fat in the winter (ha!) AND I'm in my 2nd trimester expecting my third baby...so I think I have two very good and legitimate reasons for indulging:)

I hope you like this recipe as much as I and my family do - let me know if you try it and what you think!

FISH CHOWDER

serves 4-6   prep time: 15 min   cook time: 30-40 min

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1  yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 large carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1½ lbs. cod fish, cut into relatively large bite-sized chunks (if you can't find fresh cod, frozen and thawed cod works just as well)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how much of a kick you want)
• 1 bay leaf
• 16 oz clam juice 
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 oz canned clams *optional
• 6 oz canned salmon *optional
• chopped parsley, for garnish *optional
• oyster crackers, *optional (but SO good)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) and cook for a few minutes, or until onions are translucent. 
2. Add the white wine, raise heat to high and let it simmer until wine cooks down a bit - about 5 minutes or so.
3. Lower heat to medium low and add the diced potatoes, spices, clam juice and broth; cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are softened.
4. Add the cod and heavy cream (and if using additional add-ins like clams or salmon, also throw those in) and let it simmer for 10 minutes until fish is cooked through.
5. Serve while hot and steaming with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and oyster crackers. Yum!