New England Fish Chowder

A simple New England fish chowder of haddock and potatoes simmered until the fish flakes, with sauteed onion and evaporated milk stirred in at the end.

From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.

Steak and Seafood title card for New England Fish Chowder, photo coming soon
  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 30 min
  • Total 50 min

This is a true New England fish chowder, the old-fashioned kind with no flour, just haddock, potatoes, onion browned in butter or margarine, and evaporated milk, which gives a creamy, slightly sweet broth.

Sandra Mills's instructions are reassuringly simple: once the milk goes in, it is not necessary to boil the soup. Just stir and serve.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds of haddock, skinned fillets
  • 2 pounds of peeled raw potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 stick of margarine
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans of evaporated milk

Instructions

  1. Cook the potatoes. Cover the potatoes, in 1/2-inch cubes, with water and boil until soft.
  2. Brown the onion. In a large frying pan, dice the onion and saute it in the margarine until lightly browned.
  3. Check the fish. Examine the fish and try to remove all the bones. You can use tweezers to pull out any bones.
  4. Cook the fish. Add the fish to the potatoes and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, until the fish is white and flakes easily.
  5. Finish. Add the onions and any juice with them, then add the evaporated milk and stir. It is not necessary to boil the soup. Just stir and serve.

Tips

  • Cod or pollock can replace the haddock.
  • Like most chowders, it tastes even better the next day. Reheat gently without boiling.

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