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5.0 from 18 votes

Nordic Fish Chowder

Keep in mind all the options I give you in the headnotes, and that basically whatever fish and seafood you have lying around will work.

Prep Time
1 hr 20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 213 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Scandinavian

Ingredients

BROTH
  • 1 to 2 pounds fish heads and bones or smashed crab, crayfish, lobster or shrimp shells
  • 1 chopped carrot
  • 1 large onion or leek, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • 1 to 2 cups whey or white wine
  • 2 quarts water
  • clam juice (optional)
CHOWDER
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow or white onion, chopped roughly
  • 1 to 2 pounds yellow waxy potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 to 2 pounds fish or mixed seafood
  • 1/4 cup sea beans (optional)
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped dill

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If you are making the broth, do that first. Rinse your fish bones and heads under cold water. Remove the gills if they are still there; gills will turn a broth cloudy and make it bitter. Put the fish bones and other seafoody bits in a pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer. Scum will rise to the top. Skim it off with a spoon. When the froth has subsided, drop the heat to a bare simmer, just a shimmy, really. Add the remaining ingredients and cook gently for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain and keep warm.
  2. To make the fish chowder, heat the butter in a soup pot and cook the onion over medium heat until it turns translucent. Don't let the onions brown. Add the potatoes and cover with broth by about an inch and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Add the fish and seafood, the sea beans and black pepper to taste. As these heat up, whisk the egg yolks with the heavy cream in a bowl. Using a ladle in one hand, and the whisk in another, slowly ladle some of the hot soup into the bowl with the egg-and-cream mixture -- all while whisking the mixture with the other hand. Repeat this two more times. What you are doing is tempering the egg yolks so they don't curdle. Add the contents of the bowl to the soup and stir to combine.
  4. Add the dill and let everything heat through, but do not let the chowder boil, or it might separate and look nasty. Serve with good bread and either white wine or a nice beer.

Notes

  • This chowder doesn't keep well once you add the egg yolks and heavy cream. If you want to make a huge batch of this, make the broth and the chowder base with the potatoes and onion, and chill it. Then, when you want to serve, add the fish, dill and the liaison.

Nutrition Information

Calories 213kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Cholesterol 81mg (27%) Sodium 34mg (1%) Potassium 237mg (7%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 1917IU (38%) Vitamin C 8mg (9%) Calcium 49mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 213

% Daily Value*

Calories 213kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 81mg 27%
Sodium 34mg 1%
Potassium 237mg 5%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 1917IU 38%
Vitamin C 8mg 9%
Calcium 49mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.