Baja Seafood Chowder

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.
• 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. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
• Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. 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.

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup milk, cream cheese, and garlic in a large pot over low heat. Cook and stir until blended. Mix in soup, green onions, carrots, corn with liquid, potatoes, parsley, and remaining milk. Season with black pepper and cayenne pepper. Simmer 25 minutes. Do not boil.
• Mix the shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, calamari, and clams, and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until seafood is opaque.

BEST SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large soup kettle or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels; reserve drippings. Saute onions in drippings until tender. Add potatoes and water; bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes., Add the scallops, lobster, shrimp, cod and haddock. Cook for 10 minutes or until scallops are opaque, shrimp turn pink and fish flakes easily with a fork. Add the butter, salt, parsley and curry powder. Stir in milk and evaporated milk; heat through. Garnish with bacon, additional parsley, and oyster crackers, if desired.

BAJA SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and pepper flakes. Saute until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and potato. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thick but still fairly liquid, about 30 min. Season to taste with salt/pepper. Discard any clams that are cracked or open. Add the clams to the pot along with the fish and shrimp. Raise the heat slightly, cover and cook until the fish flakes, the shrimp turn pink and the clams open (20 minutes). Discard any clams that do not open during ocoking. Ladle into warmed bowls, garnish with cilantro and pass the lime wedges at the table.

BAJA SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the Olive Oil over medium heat. Add the Garlic, Onion, Bell Pepper, Jalapeno and Pepper Flakes. Saute and add the Fish Stock, Wine, Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Sugar, Oregano, Basil, Bay Leaf and Potato. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Simmer about 30 minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper. Add Clams, Fish and Shrimp. Raise heat slightly, cover and cook until Fish flakes. Ladle into bowls, garnish with Cilanto and Lime Wedges.

SOUTH COAST PORTUGUESE FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat and add the olive oil and bay leaves. As soon as the bay leaves turn brown, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 30 seconds or until it is golden. Add the onions, bell pepper, and allspice and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the onions and peppers are softened but not brown.
• Add the potatoes and stock; if the stock doesn't cover the potatoes, add just enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat, bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the tomatoes and sausage, and simmer for 5 minutes. Season the mixture assertively with salt and pepper (you want to almost overseason the chowder at this point, to avoid having to stir it much once the fish is added).
• Add the whole fillets and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat, gently stir in the cilantro, and allow the chowder to sit for 10 minutes. (The fish will finish cooking during this time.) If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit for up to an hour at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld.
• When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don't let it boil. Use a slotted spoon to mold the chunks of hake, the chorico, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes in the center of large soup plates or shallow bowls, and ladle the savory tomato broth over. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

OLD BAY'S SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Thaw fish enough to cut into cubes.
• In large saucepan, melt butter and add vegetbles; cook until onions are transparent.
• Blend in flour, salt and Old Bay Seasoning.
• Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add Chicken broth and milk and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.
• Add haddock, shrimp and crab meat and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Add cheese and cook until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

BERMUDA FISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, green pepper, and garlic; saute about 8 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, and cook 1 minute. Add clam juice, potatoes, canned tomatoes with juice, Worcestershire sauce, jalapeno pepper, bay leaf, and ground black pepper. Simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring about every 30 minutes.
• Add fish. Simmer until snapper is easily flaked with fork, about 10 minutes.

BEAUCOUP SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter and then saute the onions and celery over medium heat, allow to soften, about minutes. Add the potato and add only enough chicken broth (or water) to barely cover. Cook until the potato is just barely tender. Add the basil, oregano, celery salt, pepper, salt, paprika and Tabasco sauce.
• Layer the fish and shellfish on top. Add just enough chicken broth (or water) to cover. Cook only until fish barely flakes.
• Add the cream, and then fill the pot with the milk. If you think you're going to run out of room in the pot, skimp on the milk, not the cream.
• Allow the chowder to warm through. Keep on a bare simmer until serving or refrigerate and slowly heat up before serving.
• Notes & Tips:.
• Movita Boucoup recommends using at least two, 1/2 pound of each seafood selection in addition to the white fish. She strongly recommends scallops and lobster. Don't use any fish with a dominant flavour such as salmon, sardines, clams, etc.
• Water is traditionally used in chowders such as this and will taste just fine if you opt for that instead of broth. If using broth, it is recommended using a sodium reduced variety. If you're using canned and don't have enough, you can make up the difference with water. The chicken broth adds just a bit of richness to the chowder.
• Chowder is best on the second day, so when entertaining, make it the day before.
• To rewarm, put the pot on low and allow 45 minutes it to heat through. Do not allow the chowder to boil; low heat is key.
• You will notice that the spices seem to sit on top of the chowder. When you serve, give a little stir and then scoop; just the right amount of spice will come up with the ladle.