Jon Drake (Cape Cod, Massachusetts)
Serves 4–5
Few dishes in my native New England are more iconic than creamy chowder. Growing up, the love that my grandmother put into her fish chowder made the best summer evenings more pleasant, and the coldest winter nights more tolerable. This is a rustic take on the Northeast classic that incorporates the brightness of lemon zest and fresh dill with a soft, buttery broth that would make anyone’s grandmother smile.
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 bay leaves
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 medium red potatoes, unpeeled, washed, and cut into ½-inch cubes
1½ pounds skinless haddock fillet, deboned
1 (½ oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
Zest of 1½ lemons (see Chef’s Tips on citrus zest, this page)
1 teaspoon salt
Dill and freshly cracked black pepper, for garnish
Sauté the onions and bay leaves in butter until the onions become soft. Add potatoes, and stir together. Add enough water to just barely cover the potatoes, and then lay the haddock over the top. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the fish flakes apart. Break the fish into large pieces and mix in the remaining ingredients. Continue heating on low for 30 minutes, uncovered, until a thicker consistency is reached, stirring occasionally. Garnish with fresh dill and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a piece of warm, crusty baguette.
Chef’s Tip
By sautéing the bay leaves with the onions, you extract more flavor from the dry herb rather than if you had added them to the liquid later in the cooking process.