Seafood Chowder (with photos)

I'm always better off if I have something to do while MSU is playing football. Helps me to not throw things at the TV. Today, I decided my in game therapy (MSU vs Arkansas) would be Seafood Chowder.

And now the game is over. And I'm watching LSU vs aTm - Go Tigers, ruin Johnny Football's Heisman hopes).

The Dogs won (The first victory ever for the Dogs while playing the Razorbacks in ArkyLand. Hoo'da ever thunk that?)

My Chowder is finished and is in my belly. I am Happy-Happy-Happy. If you want to see, I'll share my recipe for this up the eastern seaboard dish with you. I made about four servings.

You need:

A half pound of shrimp, a nice thick Halibut fillet - maybe a half pound of firm ocean fish - could substitute swordfish or some other firm cooking fish. A few bay scallops if you have them - I didn't, Some bacon (maybe four slices - I used the fat ends of some thick sliced bacon - the classic pork for this dish is salt pork), about half of the fat from the bacon after cooking it, 2 Tablespoons of butter, a medium onion (chopped), two cloves of garlic (minced), an ear of yellow corn, three potatoes (a cup and a half, smallish chunks), a can of fish stock (I never have suitable fish to make my own so I almost always use canned, a bottle of clam juice (can substitute chicken broth if you don't like clam flavor in your fish chowder), a tablespoon or more of chopped fresh parsley, a cup and a half of heavy cream, a bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper to taste.



While we were trying to give the game to Arkansas in the first half I set everything up. Chopped onions, cut bacon into pieces, peeled shrimp, cut halibut into 1 1/2 inch chunks, peeled and cubed potatoes and cut corn off the cob.



Cooked the bacon and set aside (my favorite photos are always bacon photos)



then cooked the onions until tender in half the bacon fat and two Tablespoons of butter. Added the garlic when onions were tender and cooked it for a few minutes. My intent was never to brown my onions or garlic. Added 1/4 teaspoon of ground Thyme and a bay leaf at end.



Then the stock (fish and clam) and the potatoes. I cooked the potatoes until they were almost fork tender and added the corn.



After cooking the corn for five minutes, I tasted and seasoned (salt) to taste, reduced the heat as low as possible and added the fish and shrimp. From this point on, I tried not to stir the chowder any more than absolutely necessary to keep from breaking apart the fish chunks. The intent is to let the dish set with very little additional cooking

A chowder secret - don't tell anyone. I cooked a few pieces of potato in the microwave, then mashed them with a little butter. I used this to help thicken my chowder broth.



Then I added a cup and a half of heavy cream, some chopped parsley, a healthy portion of black pepper and the lid - left alone - with lid in place for thirty minutes so the flavors could mingle.



In the bowl with chopped parsley and bacon bits and French bread.



In the spoon



14 to nuttin for LSU over aTm at the moment. Go Tigers.