As I wheeled my cart by the fish case at my favorite market, I was happy to see that our Pacific Northwest Dungeness crab is in season. They looked beautiful displayed over crushed ice in the case, so I had a big one wrapped up for me. Little Pacific bay shrimp were right alongside, so I got some of those, too. Now I had a plan. I adhered to my shopping list but included a detour to the aisle with bottled clam juice. I knew I had everything else I needed at home, including a small halibut filet in the freezer.
If you are an experienced cook, putting together a chowder is like child’s play. You start by sautéing onions in butter, then add the potatoes. After they’re just barely tender, add the rest of the ingredients in the order of their cooking time. I didn’t use a recipe, but was careful to write down the measurements of every ingredient.
This was so perfect and delicious, we were practically licking our bowls clean. There are just two of us here these days, so we had enough leftovers for dinner the next night.
Baking is chemistry, but putting together a beautiful chowder when you have world-class ingredients at your fingertips is all about cooking from the heart.
6-7 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and then crumbled (reserve bacon fat)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
1 cup chicken broth, or more if needed
1/2-teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4-teaspoon black pepper
1 (6-ounce) halibut filet, or other firm, mild fish, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup half and half, or more if needed
6 ounces cooked Dungeness crab (if you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, you can substitute a different kind of lump crab meat)
1 cup shrimp (I used small bay shrimp, that were already cooked, but you could use larger uncooked shrimp – see notes in the directions)
1/2-teaspoon hot sauce, optional
Fresh parsley for garnish
Drain the cooked bacon and put reserved bacon fat in large saucepan or dutch oven. If bacon is very lean, add a tablespoon of cooking oil – you need enough fat to sauté the onions. Add the onions to the pan and sauté them until they’re translucent and beginning to turn golden – about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potato pieces, salt, pepper, clam juice, and chicken broth. Cover pan and simmer soup until potatoes are just tender, stirring frequently. The time required to cook the potatoes will depend on their size.
When potatoes are done, add the corn and halibut pieces and continue to cook for another couple of minutes until fish is cooked through. (If you’re using uncooked shrimp, add this along with the halibut.)
Add the half and half and gently reheat soup until hot. If you prefer a thinner soup, add more half and half or chicken broth. Taste soup and add salt, pepper, and hot sauce as needed. Add crab and cooked shrimp (if you’re using), and gently stir until shellfish is heated through. Do this gently as to not break up the crab.
To serve, ladle soup in heated bowls. Garnish with reserved bacon crumbles and parsley.
