Classic Maritime Seafood Chowder

MOM'S NOVA SCOTIA SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Fill a large pot halfway with lightly salted water; bring to a boil. Add onions and carrots; cook until slightly tender, 10 minutes. Add potatoes; cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in salmon, cod, scallops, shrimp, lobster, and crab; cook over medium heat until salmon and cod are firm but chunks are still slightly translucent in the center, about 10 minutes. Drain half the water from the pot and add clams, heavy cream, and half-and-half. Place butter chunks atop the soup; season with salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until salmon and cod are fully cooked and flake easily with a fork, about 30 minutes.

THICK AND CREAMY SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cook the vegetables: Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed, large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the celery and cook, stirring for 8-10 minutes. Add the potatoes. Add enough water to the pot to just cover the vegetables with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but not too soft, about 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of the dice). Remove from heat.
• Poaching Liquid: In a second pot, heat the 4 cups of water with a bay leaf and the 1/4 onion until just before boiling. Maintain temperature just below boiling and add the sole and scallops. Cover and cook just until seafood is opaque and tender. Remove fish and and scallops to a bowl with a slotted spoon or strainer, reserving the poaching liquid for your stock. Discard the bay leaf and quartered onion.
• Soup: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring to make a smooth paste. Cook for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the reserved poaching liquid until you have a smooth mixture. Cook until it begins to thicken. Return the pot with the potatoes to medium heat. Slowly add the the butter/flour/poaching liquid mixture to the pot with the potatoes. Add the fish and scallops. Continue cooking and stirring until chowder thickens. Add the cream and stir until heated through, but do not boil. Season with a pinch of nutmeg and a generous amount of salt and black pepper, to taste.

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.

NEW ENGLAND SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Sauté bacon in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until crispy, 3-4 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and place on a plate. Drain all but 1 Tbsp bacon grease from the pot. Add diced onions and celery to the bacon grease in the pot. Sauté over medium heat until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes. Saute 1-2 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add the flour and stir, cooking until the flour is completely moistened.
• Add the milk and increase the heat to medium. Heat the soup until it is steaming, but just before it starts to boil, stirring often. Keep the soup at this point until the potatoes are nearly tender, uncovered, 10 minutes. (Reduce the heat if the milk starts to foam.)
• Add the fish and other seafood, and corn. Add the cooked bacon back to the pot. Continue to heat, just below boiling for an additional 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Add the parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Chowder can be made a day ahead and re-heated to let the flavors come together a little more or it can be served immediately.

CLASSIC MARITIME SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat; sauté celery, onion, bay leaf, dill, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper for about 5 min or until onions start to brown. Stir in potatoes; sauté for 2 min.
• Increase heat to medium-high; stir in water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and boil for about 5 min or until potatoes are almost tender.
• Whisk flour into milk and stir into pot; bring to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in fish or seafood; simmer, stirring often for 5 min or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork or seafood is hot. Discard bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with crumbled crackers.