RCP /Foodletter: Fish and bean "chowder"

[Robin Garr]

Fish and bean "chowder"

It's a little early to declare that the hottest summer in history in these parts is over, but we've had a couple of cool, almost crisp September mornings this week, and that's enough to start me thinking about the warm and hearty dishes that haven't been on the agenda for the last few months.

Crusty breads, baked beans, roasts, pizza ... the roster of goodies that have been in summer abeyance is a long one, and I'm looking forward to making their acquaintance again soon.

For today's discussion, a trip through my old recipe archives turned up a fine dish for early autumn, a concept I came up with maybe a decade ago on a similar September day: A hearty fish chowder rendered a bit lighter than the usual calorific concoction by the simple measure of using white beans in place of the milk or cream and butter that, however delicious they may be, turn standard chowder into a mighty heavy meal.

As discussed in our last dissertation on a more traditional cod chowder (Nov. 30, 2006 <i>FoodLetter</I>), the word "chowder" was coined in America in the early 1700s, and comes from the French word for the pot it was traditionally cooked in: "<I>Chaudière</i>," akin to "cauldron," an iron pot equipped with three legs so it would sit up over an open fire. A chowder is a thick soup or stew that usually contains clams or other shellfish or fish, potatoes and milk or cream. But it's a broad term, with more than enough room to accommodate my dairy-free variation.

INGREDIENTS: (Serves two)

3 small white boiling potatoes
2-3 cloves garlic
2 green onions (scallions)
1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups (350g) cooked white beans
1/2 pound (240g) boneless white fish
Sea salt
Black pepper
Chopped parsley

PROCEDURE:

1. Peel the potatoes ("fingerlings" or "creamers" are particularly good) and cut them into dice. Peel the garlic and chop it fine, and chop the scallions.

2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then saute the minced garlic and chopped scallions until the garlic is translucent but not brown. Add the potato dice and stir once or twice, then pour in 1 1/2 cups water. Turn down to a simmer and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.

3. Mash about one-third of the beans into a rough puree with the back of a spoon. Stir this puree into the soup as a natural thickener.

4. Cut the fish into one-inch cubes and add it to the simmering soup, simmering gently for five or six minutes or until it's just cooked through. Stir in the rest of the beans and continue simmering until they're warmed through. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

<B>MATCHING WINE:</B> This should work very well with any crisp, acidic white; I like the touch of sticking with wines from coastal regions where seafood is abundant: A Sancerre or other dry Sauvignon Blanc; a Muscadet; a Verdicchio from Italy's Adriatic Coast or an Alvarinho from Portugal would all pass muster.

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I looked over your recipe and decided that there was too much starch for me with both the potatoes and the beans. So here is what I came up with as a variation on your Fish and Bean Chowder. I got rid of the potatoes and added: diced organic tomatoes, crimini and white mushrooms, and oakra. Instead of using water, I used fish stock. For a less piquant broth, you could use chicken stock instead of the fish stock.

Here is my recipe:

1 cup sliced oakra
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced crimini and white mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups organic diced tomatoes (Muir Glenn or Pacific brand)
2 green onions (scallions), chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups fish or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (Goya is a good brand choice)
1/3 to 1/2 lb boneless white fish (I used Cod fish)
Sea Salt to taste
Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
"Emeril's Essence" - recipe follows
About 3 to 4 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1. Peel the garlic and chop it fine, and then chop the scallions. Brush any dirt off of the mushrooms and slice them thin.

2. Sprinkle "Emeril's Essence" over both sides of the fish and then cut the fish into one inch cubes. Set aside to allow the spices to infuse.

2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then saute the chopped garlic and scallions until the garlic is translucent but not brown. Add the mushrooms and saute until most of the moisture has been driven out of the mushrooms. Add the diced tomatoes and the oakra, then pour in the chicken or fish stock. Bring to a light boil and simmer until the oakra is almost cooked through. Taste test your soup and season with salt and pepper as may be required to your taste. (Don't forget that "Emeril's Essence" adds some "zip" and "heat" to the broth.

3. Mash about one-third of the beans into a rough puree with the back of a spoon. Temper and mix with several tablespoons of broth and then pour the mixture into the soup. This mixture will help thicken the broth.

4. Add the fish to the soup, simmering gently for five or six minutes, or until it is just cooked through. Stir-in the rest of the beans and continue simmering until the beans are heated through. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and then serve.

"Emeril's ESSENCE" Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 ½ tbs paprika
2 tbs salt
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup

Nice to hear from you Mike. Nice recipe too!

Hello Carl! Kinda like "old home week", one never knows who is going to "pop in." Nice to hear from you also. I have noticed a number of familiar names here. (As an aside note, Verne and I call each other now and then to make sure we are both still kicking around in good shape!!)

I have been subscribing to Robins "The 30 Second Wine Advisor" for a long time. Every now and then he sends along some information that strikes me as being particularly interesting.

I liked the idea of his Fish and Bean chowder, but didn't want the potato, so I thought out a variation that would still produce a good, flavorful soup, using Robin's idea of a milk/cream free chowder.

When I got online and tried to enter something in the forum, I found that I was no longer a user from years ago. So I had to register again, and then was able to post my recipe.

Credit goes to you for introducing me to Muir Glenn - their products are always my first choice, when I can find them.

I liked the idea of a mashed beans as a sub for the cream and butter you usually find in chowder. These kinds of things don't usually work out so well, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked. I immediatly started thinking where else I could plug that idea in to save some fat and calories. I chose to mash all of the beans to make it a smooth chowder with chunks of spuds. I also used some catfish I had just bought. It made it a little more substantial. The only complaint I had was that the overall flavor was a little bland and I had a hard time tweaking it to my liking. In my server days I worked at a restaurant whose house soup was a great clam chowder. The employees and the regulars in the know always gave it a squirt of Harvey's Bristol Cream for a very nice flavor boost. I only wish I had some on hand.