Fish Chowder Soup

Fish Chowder Soup Recipe

Chowder (Chaudrée in french) originally meant an amount of small unsellable  fishes taken from a fishing boat for the crew to eat for themselves – stored in the boiler of the boat… hence its name. All along the coast of the Charente and Vendée, this fish stew is delicious, easy to cook and very popular…

Preparation: 30 min
Baking: 55 min
Level of difficulty: Easy

Ingredients list for the fish chowder

for 6 people

• 300 g raiteaux
• 300 g of white cuttlefish
• 300 g of mules
• 300 g of small eels
• 300 g of mixed fishes
• 100 g butter
• 4 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large bouquet garni (bay and thyme)
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 50 cl dry white wine
• salt, pepper

Preparation steps

1. Clean the fishes: remove scales, gut and wash with running water.
2. Cut the fish into chunks.
3. In a casserole, melt butter.
4. Sauté the chopped onions and white squid cut into strips.
5. Cover.
6. Let cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring.
7. Add the white wine and 1 quart of warm water.
8. Flavour with the bouquet garni, parsley and garlic.
9. Continue cooking for 30 minutes.
10. Put  the sections of the strongest fish in the casserole.
11. Add salt and pepper.
12. Let cook for 5 minutes.
13. Add other fishes gently.
14. Uncover and cook 5 minutes.
15. When everything is cooked, remove the bouquet garni.
16. Adjust the seasoning.

Serve immediately.

Variants

Some popular variants include cream or milk, as well as potatoes – we approach here the famous clam chowder from american east-coast and New England.