jackie’s fish chowder

I’m a Maritimer. Born and raised in Nova Scotia. So is 2.0. Maritimers are a happy and… robust people. Mostly because we like to eat chowder. Lots of it.

Don’t tell me you don’t like fish. And don’t even think about saying you don’t like lobster. Because you do. And don’t tell me that all that cream and butter isn’t good for you. Of course it is. It came from a cow. You like cows.

This is Jackie’s recipe. Jackie is 2.0’s mother. She makes food that warms you from the inside out. And today we decided we needed some warming from the inside out. Last week it rained for six days straight. It poured. And every time you thought the sky had dried up, the rain would start again. We got about three months worth of rain in a week. Record breaking weather. Chowder weather. And sure, the sun has returned, but not before I got a hankering for lobster.

2.0 isn’t really into lobster – probably because he used to work on a lobster boat. Most lobster fisherman don’t seem to like lobster. Not like my family – we’d kill you for lobster. No lie. But 2.0 likes lobster in his chowder. See how that worked out? We’re both happy.

The recipe is pretty straight forward. Peel and dice a few potoates (we used 5) and an onion. Throw ’em in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Get ’em cooking over medium-high heat – bring to a boil and then let cook for a few minutes. When the potatoes are just getting tender, throw in some fish.

Add some white fish – two large fillets of haddock.

And then some scallops (ours were frozen) – about 1/2 pound.

Then let the fish simmer in the pot as you turn your attention to the lobster. We bought some frozen lobster – legs and pieces. Fry that spectacular lobster up in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of butter, a bit of salt and some pepper.

You want the butter to get all orangey like. That’s what 2.0’s mummy stresses. You’ve gotta let that butter mingle with the lobster. The butter will take on some of the orange-red colour of the lobster.

Then drain some of the water out of the Dutch oven. Add the lobster to the pot. You want to make sure you get every last drop of the orangey butter into the pot. That’s very important. Every. Last. Drop. Then add one litre of blend. Do it. Pour the whole thing in.

Let all that goodness settle together for a bit. Turn back the heat and let the pot do it’s job. Let the potatoes and fish get to know one another. Once the kitchen smells of chowder and the mixture is nice and hot, ladle some into a bowl. Then eat it all by yourself in a corner. Don’t talk to anyone. Just suck up that chowder.

Seriously. You need to make some.

. . .

Jackie’s Fish Chowder – a recipe from 2.0’s mother – download the recipe for Jackie’s Fish Chowder

• 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large fillets of white fish (haddock, for example)
• 1/2 pound scallops (fresh or frozen)
• 1 package or can of frozen cooked lobster pieces (about a pound)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup butter
• 1 litre of blend

Put diced potatoes and onion into a large Dutch oven. Add just enough water to cover the potatoes. Cook over medium-high heat. Let the water come to a boil. After they’ve cooked for about five minutes (just starting to get tender), add in your white fish and scallops. Reduce the heat and let the pot simmer as you add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of butter and the lobster pieces to a skillet and cook over medium heat. Cook the lobster until the butter has taken on an orangey-red colour from the lobster. Drain some of the water out of the Dutch oven – I scoop about 3-4 ladles out of the pot. Add the lobster and every last drop of the butter from the skillet into the Dutch oven. Add the litre of blend. Allow to come together over low heat. Eat right away or refrigerate until you’re ready to gobble it up.