Chowder is big chunks of POTATO and OTHER THINGS in a broth built of FAT, ONION, WATER and CREAM.
POTATO is any somewhat starchy variety because you want it to fall apart a bit and thicken the soup. I like Russet and Yukon Gold. OTHER THINGS can be any or all of seafood or flaky white fish, corn, bacon. FAT is butter, bacon drippings or, hell, even coconut oil. ONION is a yellow or white variety and not too sweet. Could also be French shallots in a stretch. WATER is, well, water of course, but if you have a bottle of clam juice and are making a fish/seafood chowder, throw that in too. CREAM is heavy or whipping cream (otherwise it will curdle) with the addition, if you are making corn chowder, of some "corn-cream" made by grating some of the ears of corn.
Here's how I make about 4-6 servings (about 1 pound of chowder per serving which, I assure you, is not too much). Measurements are mostly in terms of the volume of my clenched fist (about a cup). Making this is very relaxing (despite the clenching).
- 1-2 thumbs fat
- 1 f (ie. one fist) chopped coarsely onion
- 3 f potatoes peeled and cut in wedges
- 2 f of the other thing(s)
- 1 f heavy cream
- salt and pepper
Put a large, heavy bottomed pot on medium heat. If bacon is one of your other things, add to pot and cook slowly to render out the fat. (Put the bacon bits aside to add back at the end.) Sweat the onion in the fat. Add the potatoes and water to just cover. Bring to a boil and simmer until spuds are almost tender. Add other things and cook until other things are falling apart (if white fish) or about 10 minutes. Add cream and season with salt and (generously with) pepper (see below). Turn off the heat and, with the lid on, let the chowder get comfortable for about 20 minutes.
The Salt
With a dish as simple as this, adequate seasoning is essential. Salt is the not-so-secret secret ingredient. Now, if you look at the ingredients, you'll notice that, with the exception of bacon and maybe canned clams and the butter, nothing is salted. So how much salt would I expect to add to this? My rule of thumb (thanks Julia Child) is about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound of unsalted food. A pint of water is a pound and two of my fists are about a pint (two cups). There are six fists of ingredients in the list plus the water, which is going to be about another 4 fists. 10 fists is about 5 pints so I would expect to need at least 5 x 1/2 tsp of salt, which is just shy of 1 tablespoon.
If that scares you, measure out your tablespoon into a little bowl and add it a 1/2 tsp at a time. Stir well between additions and keep tasting until you find yourself thinking, "Dear Lord, that is delicious. I must eat an entire bowl immediately!" My guess is there won't be any salt left in your bowl. In fact, you may have even gone beyond.
If that scares you, measure out your tablespoon into a little bowl and add it a 1/2 tsp at a time. Stir well between additions and keep tasting until you find yourself thinking, "Dear Lord, that is delicious. I must eat an entire bowl immediately!" My guess is there won't be any salt left in your bowl. In fact, you may have even gone beyond.
