Some New Englanders still refer to “building a chowder,” since settlers of the coastal region originally made the thick seafood soup by layering the ingredients in a heavy pot. Although it’s now traditional to serve chowder with oyster crackers, you won’t need to if you follow an authentic recipe. Try fish chowder made with crackers right in the soup, and you’ll get a taste of early New England history.
New England Chowder
Clam chowder might get all the culinary credit when it comes to New England cuisine, but hearty fish chowder came first. Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all had their distinctive early variations, but rustic soups overflowing with cod, bass or haddock made a satisfying poor-man’s meal for many a fisherman along the North Atlantic coast during the 1800s. Prepared with whatever type of seafood was plentiful, chowder was easy to prepare in the cramped quarters of a ship’s galley; it warmed the bones and stuck to the ribs. Although sea-bound peoples around the world began preparing fish soups and stews much earlier, cookbook author Jasper White notes that the first published recipe for chowder appeared in “The Boston Evening Post” in 1751.
How to Build a Chowder
Traditional chowder recipes utilized moistened crackers as a thickening agent. New Englanders used “pilot bread” or “common crackers,” but you can easily substitute oyster crackers or saltines. To create authentic chowder at home, fry salt pork or bacon in a large pot, remove the meat to chop it into small pieces, and then place it back in the pot in an even layer. Continue adding layers of ingredients -- chopped onions, parsley, pepper, chunks of fish, moistened crackers -- and repeat each layer until you’ve run out of fish. Top the chowder with a final layer of onions or crumbled crackers. Pour in liquid to cover the ingredients; water is traditional, but you might use some wine or stock for added flavor.
Why It’s Good for You
Including fish in your diet is a heart-healthy move. Not only is seafood high in protein and low in saturated fat, it also provides healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish per week to help prevent or treat cardiovascular disease.
How to Make It Healthier
If you want to slash the unhealthy fat content of a chowder recipe, use Canadian bacon or even turkey bacon instead of salt pork. When you’re following a modern recipe that calls for cream, try using fat-free half and half. Substitute margarine for butter, and toss in extra herbs and seasonings to give your low-fat chowder a richer taste.
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