How do you make a New England, USA Mixed Fish Chowder? | What is the national dish of New England, United States?

Wayne @NationalDish — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 22:12:34 +0000

So much more than a soup New England Seafood Chowder
Photograph: Wayne Morgan – nationaldish.co.uk © 2017

You know how some things have names that sound exactly like they are? Well, a chowder is one of those things and what a wonderful thing it is. So much more than a soup and not a blitzer in sight. This chowder is based on the New England recipe, but rather than just clams I’ve lobbed in loads more goodies.

New England Mixed Seafood Chowder | We got cockles, mussels, smoked haddock, prawns, scallops oh yah

You can add whatever seafood you like to this, I grabbed what I had, it's your preference, the shellfish shells do look good for presentation though. To help, I've added my ingredients below - I was very specific, which helps you manage the cost too.

CourseMain Dish
CuisineAmerican

Servings2 people

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2fillet smoked haddockundyed obvs, why would anyone eat that yellow rubbish? Cut it into bit sized chunks
6live mussels
12live cocklesclams are the norm and amazing
1handful shrimpsmall cold water prawns, these can be cooked
4whole scallopsslice these so you get lots of round discs of scallop
5whole new potatoespeeled and sliced in half, longways
3roughly chopped and deseeded fresh tomatoesyou only want the outer part
1bunch parsleychop the leaves
150ml single cream
300ml milk
250ml fish stockor you can use chicken
100ml white winea cold bottle of Muscadet is ideal
1large white onionchopped
1whole corn cobslice the corn off length ways with a knife, picture below
4rashers baconthis should be chopped, smoked, streaky and preferably dry cured
1clove garliccrushed
2tsps cayenne pepper
1tbls corn flour

Instructions

Grab a soup pot, a small saucepan, small frying pan, garlic crusher and put the kettle on for the stock. Chop the onion, bacon and have the shellfish to hand. The early stages all happen quite quickly, after which you can chill out.
Put the small saucepan on a high heat and have the white wine and live shellfish to hand - they should all close when you give them a shake, any that stay open, throw away.
Whilst the pan is heating up make the stock in a good sized measuring jug and have a strainer on hand.
When hot throw in the shellfish and then immediately the wine (in that order), it should generate lots of steam - cover and let it steam for no more than one minute, give it a couple of shakes. Then remove the lid and strain directly over the stock pot, capturing the liquor with the stock. They can sit there for a little while - they should all be open, throw away those that are closed.
Put the soup pot on a medium high heat with a little oil and cook the bacon until browned, releasing the fat, remove and set aside. Add the onion to the pot with the cayenne, a pinch of sea salt flakes, crush the garlic and stir. Gently cook the onions until soft and translucent. Get the other ingredients ready in the meantime.
This is what I meant with the corn by the way.
Take your now slightly under cooked shell fish and remove most of the meat from the shells, leaving a few intact. Put the small frying pan on a high heat and get it really hot and add a little oil - have your sliced, dry scallops to hand and when almost smoking, add them all, so each slice touches the bottom of the pan. All we want he is fast colour, at which point, remove them from the heat (a minute is probably to long, don't move them much either) and set aside. You don't have to do this, but it gives you nicer bites of scallop rather than floppy shellfish.
Onions should be done, move to the side in the pan and add the flour with a little oil or butter, cook it off so you have a bit of a roux and mix through the onions. Add the corn and whack up the heat.
Add the stock/shellfish liquor, potatoes and bring to the boil and turn down to a good simmer, cook until the potatoes are just under cooked. Now add all the milk and tomatoes and bring to the boil and turn straight back down to simmer - add the haddock.
This is now the final 5 minutes. Firstly, if you haven't already, taste your sauce and carefully season with salt and ground pepper - then add ALL of the remaining seafood (inc the shellfish you cooked at the start) and the bacon.
Stir it all gently and add the single cream, again, gently stir. Taste it, season only if needed and you should have a creamy consistency - too runny and you didn't reduce your stock enough - but, you should be just fine. All you want to do here is get everything hot, don't cook it any more than you have to.
Serve it up (pasta bowls are good for this), with the shells on top, covered in the parsley, maybe a grind of black pepper and if you must, chunks of sour dough bread and the rest of the Muscadet sat right next to it.
Thank you New England, USA

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How do you make a New England, USA Mixed Fish Chowder? | What is the national dish of New England, United States?