How to Make Chowder

This post invites you to experiment – it is a blueprint and a technique, not a rigid recipe that must be followed. Use whatever ingredients you have on hand, or whatever you like – less than an hour, start to finish!

There is a lot of fierce debate about what makes a soup a chowder – or if chowder is a type of soup or its own thing. Some will argue that it must have seafood – but there’s corn chowder and potato chowder – and probably others.

Others will claim that chowder has a white base – but then there’s Manhattan clam chowder which has a tomato base. Of all the variations out there, however, there are a few defining rules that make chowder what it is:

Rule #1: It starts with pork – usually, but not always, bacon. Bacon or other smoked pork gives chowder its distinctive smokey flavor.

Rule #2: It is chunky. This is not a bisque or smooth pureé or even a rustic soup. Chowder is somewhere between soup and stew.

Rule #3: There is a thickening agent of some kind – a roux, a slurry or just plain cream, but a true chowder is pretty thick.

Rule # 4: It has potatoes – these can be tiny ones halved, skins on or off, cubed, diced, Russet, yellow, red, heirloom… but it has potatoes

Without further ado, here’s your chowder blueprint. Remember: you do not need all the ingredients below – this is a blueprint!

Chowder is generally a one pot wonder, so follow these seven steps and see what happens. You may add any or all of the ingredients for each category, but remember, simpler is usually better.

Point is, have fun:

Steps

1. Brown pork product in butter/oil – remove and reserve once crispy; you’ll garnish the chowder with this at the end
2. Reduce heat; pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons of fat left in the pan
3. Add your base; Sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes
4. Add aromatics and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 3 minutes
5. Add your potatoes and/or corn. Potatoes can be cubed, chunked, peeled, unpeeled – whatever you want
6. If you’re adding flour, add it here – sauté until slightly nutty and browned and raw flour smell is gone. If you prefer a thinner chowder, skip this step.
7. Add enough broth/liquid to cover the potatoes by an inch or so
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft – 20 minutes(ish)
9. Add your seafood or protein of choice, if using and simmer until cooked through – 3 to 5 minutes
10. Add your thickener of choice. After adding thickener, reduce to desired consistency. Remember two things during this step: First, slurries are very powerful thickeners. Second, never add raw flour at the end – it will take a long time too cook out – do that in step 5 above, as directed.
11. Garnish with crispy pork cracklings (from step 1), oyster crackers, parsley and/or minced chives

Leave comments below and let me know how your chowder adventure turned out!