Seafood Chowder Gets My Vote
Salt cod and dill add a little somethin' somethin' to this classic East Coast bowl of awesome
A few years ago during a similar time of a looming election, I decided to be the one that would talk about that elephant in the room, the cost of seafood chowder mix.
What should be some very cheap scraps and end cuts of various seafood products was instead hitting $9 a pound, which about 10 years ago was close to the price of live lobster.
And years later, here we are at $13 a pound, and it seems like the political movement I created by founding The Cost of Seafood Chowder Mix is Too Damn High Party' was all for not.
Despite all that, it’s still nice to pull out the Atlantic Canadian classic that is seafood chowder once in a while.
Over the past quarter-century I’ve developed or discovered a few good tips to boost the quality of my chowder. For example, I like using bits of salt cod to season it rather than just salt and/or bacon. It’s one more layer of flavour that you’ll definitely notice.
Another is the use of fresh dill, which I’ve only just experimented with in the past few months and I absolutely love it. Previous versions just depended on a few bay leaves or dried tarragon to give it that herby kick.
As an Atlantic Canada delicacy, its ingredients are easily 100 per cent Canadian-sourced.
1lb seafood chowder mix
2-3 slices of bacon, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 can of baby clams
1 golf-ball-sized hunk of salt cod, chopped fine
1 cup milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
Salt to taste (if not using salt cod)
An outrageous amount of black pepper
Start by prepping your chowder mix. Cut larger pieces into smaller pieces and pick through the chowder to make sure there are no pin bones that will stab the people you love.
Heat a large pot over medium heat for a couple of minutes. You want it at full cooking temperature before anything goes in there.
Add the bacon and fry, stirring often until brown.
Add the butter and onions and cook three or four more minutes until the onion softens.
Add the diced potatoes, chicken or vegetable stock and the clam juice from the can of clams.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce back to medium-low and let it bubble and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
Partly mash the mix to thicken it.
Add the salt cod bits and the seafood chowder mix.
Gently bring to a simmer, about 7-10 minutes.
Add the milk, cream, chopped dill, salt (if not using salt cod) and more black pepper than you’re comfortable with.
Bring to just a simmer, another 10 minutes or so and serve with any bread product, biscuits, crackers, etc.