Seafood Chowder

Chowder is a seafood or vegetable stew, often served with milk or cream and mostly eaten with saltine crackers. Chowder is usually thickened with broken up crackers, but some varieties are traditionally thickened with crushed ship biscuit. New England clam chowder is typically made with chopped clams and diced potatoes, in a mixed cream and milk base, often with a small amount of butter. Other common chowders include Manhattan clam chowder, which substitutes tomatoes for the milk and cream and typically omits potatoes; corn chowder, which uses corn instead of clams; a wide variety of fish chowders; and potato chowder, which is often made with cheese.

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Ingredients

Chowder

• 1/2 pound scallops

Seafood Stock

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup good white wine
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems

Chowder

• 1 pound large shrimp (32 to 36 per pound), peeled and deveined (save shells for stock)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound monkfish
• 1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shells
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter
• 1 cup peeled and medium-diced carrots (4 carrots)
• 1/2 cup medium-diced yellow onion (1 onion)
• 1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
• 1 cup medium-diced small white or red potatoes
• 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 recipe Seafood Stock (see recipe)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley

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Instructions

Chowder

1. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
2. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley.
3. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked.
4. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil.
5. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
6. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter; add the carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and corn and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are barely cooked, stirring occasionally.
7. Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.

Seafood Stock

8. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. You can make up the difference with water or wine if you need to.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
10. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme.
11. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes.
12. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
13. Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat.

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Notes