A Downeast Maine Fish Chowder
Salty, buttery Downeast Maine fish chowder - chock-full of white fish, clams, mussels, potatoes, and onions.
The steaming pot of fish chowder we know today has a rich history, its origins swirling in the salty mist of the North Atlantic. Chowder sailed across the ocean with European immigrants and thrived in North America. Early versions relied on readily available ingredients like hardtack, salt pork, and whatever fish was hauled in. It is a simple dish - easy to prepare and serve. But to New Englanders, chowder symbolizes sustenance and nourishment. It reflects yankee ingenuity and grit. As it travelled down the eastern coast, regional variations emerged. While New Englanders embraced cream and clams, Manhattan cooks simmered tomatoes into their broth. Regardless of the place, the regional and familial adaptations of chowder speak to place, and our ability to eke out an existence from the local natural resources.
I learned to cook fish chowder from my grandmother. It’s a Downeast Maine-style chowder - no thickner, no filler, lots of meat. As I remember, she loosely dictated her chowder recipe to me over the phone while I was a college student. She told me what she remembered, and through the years I’ve followed what I remembered. I don’t believe it’s written down. The basic framework hasn’t evolved at all over time, but it has been adapted, and readapted countless times. I’ve carried it across the continent and prepared it Alaskan style with halibut and salmon, and I’ve made it here on Cape Cod with tautog, quahogs and oysters.
My grandmother was not really one for recipes. Neither am I. Our style of cooking is freeform culinary jazz. Recipes are for ideas - a basic framework - you work with what you have available and what seems like it would taste good with the moment. There’s an ephemeral quality to this cooking style - because of the undocumented improvisations, dishes are nearly impossible to precisely recreate. The food exists to be experienced and enjoyed at a time and a place.
All that said, this is my grandmother’s fish chowder recipe. When executed well, this can be a meal of memories. I hope you make it your own. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Fish - 1.5 lbs preferably a whitefish like cod, haddock, hake, tautog, monkfish, or halibut (I’ve been known to also add in small amounts of salmon, clams, mussels, and oysters). You can’t really add too much meat!
Potatoes - 2 large Russet potatoes, chopped
Onion - 1/2 of a large yellow or white onion, chopped
Butter - 4 tablespoons (I use salted, but any will do)
Cream/milk - 1 quart (I use half and half)
Spice - Salt, pepper, parsley, oregano
Instructions
Bring 2 quarts of water to boil.
Once the water has reached a boil, add the onions and boil for approximately 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes to the pot, and continue to boil for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just turning soft (but not mushy).
Add the fish, boil for another 5 minutes, and then remove from heat.
Using a colander to collect the potatoes, onion and fish, drain the pot while saving approximately 1 cup of broth in the bottom of the cook pot.
Add the cooked potatoes, onion, and fish back to the cook pot.
Add the butter and cream to the pot.
Bring the pot to a low simmer, stirring occasionally to mix in the melting butter. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes while seasoning with salt, pepper, parsley and/or oregano to taste.
If possible, allow the chowder to sit several hours before serving - chowder flavor enhances over time.
Serve hot with bread.
