New England Fish Chowder

By Addie

Ingredients

• 1 pound haddock or cod fillets
• 1/4 cup salt pork, finely diced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups diced raw potatoes
• 2-4 cups hot light cream, or half-and-half, or milk
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the fish fillets into 1-inch pieces.

Fry the salt pork in a large saucepan or kettle until all the fat is rendered and until crisp. Add the onion and saute until tender.

Pour in the boiling water; add the potatoes. Cook slowly, covered, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender.

Add the fish and continue to cook slowly about 8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily and the potatoes are tender.

Add the hot milk or cream. (We generally use 4 cups of half-and-half.) Just before serving, add the butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle top of soup lightly with paprika.

NOTES:

Leave the salt pork in the pot; do not remove after rendering the fat.

Serve the New England Fish Chowder hot with oyster crackers or saltines and a freshly brewed pot of tea on a cold winter night.