New England Fish Chowder

Filled with potatoes, onion, celery, bacon, and fresh fish, creamy seafood chowders are a staple not only in New England but across America. This fish chowder is a basic slow-cooker recipe for any type of creamy chowder—it’s a matter of substituting more than changing the cooking technique. Fish chowder should be made with a thick-fleshed fish that will not disintegrate in the cooker, such as halibut, sea bass, or cod. Make sure the fish is fresh, not frozen. Frozen fish tends to disintegrate when cooked low and slow. Fish stock can easily be made on your stovetop, but if you don’t have any, a mixture of chicken broth and clam juice also works well. Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon has a clam base as well as a delicious lobster stock that you could certainly use.

Ingredients

• 8 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice
• 5 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks
• 1 bay leaf
• 1½ pounds thick-fleshed fish, such as sea bass, halibut, haddock, or cod, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnishing
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives for garnishing

Instructions

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove all but ¼ cup of the bacon drippings from the skillet.

add the onion, celery, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the roux constantly (see savvy). Gradually stir in the broth and clam juice and bring to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender.

stir in the bacon, fish, and cream. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the fish is cooked through.

remove the bay leaf and serve the chowder garnished with the parsley and chives.

serves 8