Smoky, Spicy Fish Chowder Recipe
Fish chowder is a popular variation of the many fish soups and stews from around the world. No one is sure of its exact origins, but by the early 1800s, the dish was commonly found in coastal areas of the Eastern United States. Today, in the U.S. alone, you can find versions ranging from the popular white and creamy New England clam chowder to Seattle-style fish chowder with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
This smoky and spicy fish chowder recipe takes a different route. The base is a mixture of Roma tomatoes, fish broth, and white wine, but we roast the tomatoes first for a deeper, slightly charred flavor. We included a satisfying mix of fresh fish, smoked fish, and shellfish for a deeply layered flavor and a pleasant variety of seafood textures. Smoked paprika and cayenne pepper add a touch of smoke and spice, and potatoes give it the perfect chowder-chunky texture.
Happily, this recipe isn't hard to make, and best of all, it's delicious. The complex flavor from the mix of raw and smoked fish, the broth base, and the aromatics and spices comes together nicely in a light-yet-hearty soup that is ideal for a main course served with crusty bread or crackers.
Gather your smoky, spicy fish chowder ingredients
For this recipe, you will first need Roma tomatoes. The tomatoes will be roasted, and it really takes them to the next level in terms of flavor, but if you don't want to wait an hour for the tomatoes to roast, you can sub canned fire-roasted tomatoes. Grab some salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, and fish broth as well. For the vegetables, you'll need garlic, yellow onion, bell pepper, and potatoes. The fish the recipe calls for is raw cod fillet, raw shrimp, smoked clams, and a smoked trout or whitefish. If you use frozen shrimp, make sure to completely defrost them first. Finally, you can choose to top the chowder with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 2: Slice the tomatoes
Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut side up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Season them with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Step 3: Roast the tomatoes
Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 60-70 minutes.
Step 4: Heat the oil
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot on medium heat.
Step 5: Add the aromatics
Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Step 6: Add the wine
Pour in the wine and let simmer rapidly for 1-2 minutes until reduced.
Step 7: Simmer the soup
Add the broth, roasted tomatoes, potatoes, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.
Step 8: Add the cod
Add the cod and simmer for 3 minutes.
Step 9: Add the remaining seafood
Gently stir in the shrimp, smoked clams, and smoked whitefish, and simmer for 3-4 more minutes until the shrimp are opaque and the smoked fish is heated through. Break up the cod and whitefish into small pieces with a fork towards the end.
Step 10: Serve the smoky, spicy fish chowder
Remove the pot from the heat, taste and adjust for salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and serve hot topped with optional chopped parsley.
What pairs well with fish chowder?
Smoky, Spicy Fish Chowder Recipe
This cream-free fish chowder recipe features a plethora of seafood, a roasted tomato-based broth, and plenty of smoky-spicy flavor notes.
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 1 pinch plus ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 pinch plus ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped
- ¾ cup white wine
- 4 cups fish broth
- ½ pound potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ pound cod fillet
- ¼ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 ounces smoked clams
- 1 6-ounce portion smoked trout or whitefish
Optional Ingredients
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, for topping
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut side up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Season them with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 60-70 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot on medium heat.
- Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the wine and let simmer rapidly for 1-2 minutes until reduced.
- Add the broth, roasted tomatoes, potatoes, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the cod and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Gently stir in the shrimp, smoked clams, and smoked whitefish, and simmer for 3-4 more minutes until the shrimp are opaque and the smoked fish is heated through. Break up the cod and whitefish into small pieces with a fork towards the end.
- Remove the pot from the heat, taste and adjust for salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and serve hot topped with optional chopped parsley.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 260 |
| Total Fat | 9.7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.6 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 57.5 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 14.9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 4.3 g |
| Sodium | 968.6 mg |
| Protein | 23.0 g |
How can I customize this fish chowder recipe?
This is a great recipe to try your favorite fish and shellfish in, or to experiment with some of the popular smoked and cured fish from around the world. If you want to switch up the raw fish, you could try other kinds of firm white fish like haddock, sea bass, grouper, and red snapper. Raw mussels and raw clams (either in addition to or instead of smoked clams) are good options as well. Avoid overly delicate fish like flounder that will just fall apart in the soup, making the bites of fish less satisfying. Smoked salmon, smoked haddock, smoked cod, and smoked oysters are all delicious choices if you can't get your hands on smoked trout or whitefish.
If you sub other kinds of raw fish, look up the cooking times and adjust if needed. Smoked fish is already cooked, so even if you use another kind, just add it at the end as directed.
Other ways to customize this recipe are to add bacon for richness, leeks or shallots for depth, red pepper flakes for heat (instead of or with cayenne pepper), and fresh green herbs like thyme and marjoram at the end for garnish. Finally, you can make your own broth with fish scraps, poached mussels, or simmered shrimp shells, or use clam juice or vegetable broth if desired.
What is the origin of fish chowder?
The exact origin of fish chowder is unclear, but evidence suggests it may have come from fishermen in the French region of Brittany who brought the dish to Newfoundland in Canada and eventually down to the New England coast in the U.S. Scholars believe the word chowder may come from the French word chaudière, which means cauldron, kettle, boiler, and bucket. There's also a theory that it originated in Cornwall in England, where the inhabitants' word for fishmonger is "jowder."
A 1751 poem published in the Boston Evening Post described chowder made from onions, pork, fish, herbs, spices, soaked biscuits (probably ships' hardtack), wine, and water layered in that order several times and cooked without any stirring. It's likely that fish chowder was well known in New England in the mid-1800s, and chowders at that time were not limited to fish, clams, or other shellfish but often featured red meat, chicken, hard ship biscuits, and flavorings like cider that are not commonly used today. Milk and potatoes were introduced later, and chowder became more like a thick soup than a bready casserole.
While the word chowder in the U.S. often brings to mind the creamy milk-based New England clam chowder or the tomato-based Manhattan clam chowder, you can enjoy many varieties today, including chowders featuring diverse types of fish, seafood, and vegetables like corn.