This one goes the extra mile and serves up some seriously awesome flavor. The trick here is in the stock. Use your favorite fish stock, or as I did use a stock made from the shells left over from a recent Lobster Party. Now-reduce this stock by about half. This will super concentrate the stocks flavor and yield a “deluxe” base in which to create the finished chowdah..
Ingredients:
-1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh haddock cut into good sized chunks.
- 1 cup chopped slab bacon or pancetta-not flavored.
-2 tbls unsalted butter
-3 cups combined of equal part chopped shallot, celery and leek. Small to medium dice. Throw in a half a large carrot chopped the same way for color and another layer of flavor.
-2 plus cups of large diced yukon gold potato potato
-1 large tbls of freshly chopped thyme
-2 cups of your best reduced by 1/2 seafood stock
-3 and 1/2 cups whole milk
-3 generous tbls AP flour
Salt and Pepper
Plenty of freshly chopped Italian parsley.
Method and Technique:
-Heat large soup pot or braiser and add butter and bacon-saute over medium heat until nicely browned. Remove bacon, drain on paper towel and reserve 4 tbls of this fat.
-Return 4 tbls of fat to pan, add vegetable mixture, and chopped thyme and sweat over low heat until softened-around 8 minutes. Stir every now and then. Season lightly with salt and papper.
-during the last 2-3 minutes of sweating add the flour and cook for a few minutes stirring to incorporate.
-Now add the potato, the stock, and the milk. Bring to a boil-reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes-season again here lightly with salt and pepper. Taste before and after the seasoning to get and idea where you are at.
- Add the Haddock and simmer 3-4 minutes till just tender. Turn off the heat.
- Return the bacon to the pan, and garnish with all the parsley your heart desires. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. You should not need much if any as you have been seasoning in layers. Taste!!
Break out the oyster crackers and a hoppy Belgian beer of your choice. I’d like to try this with perhaps a De Ranke xx Bitter.
