New England Cod and Mussel Chowder

#If you want a healhy fish chowder to serve this mussel and cod recipe is your thing. This hearty American fish stew is laden with chunks of cod and potatoes, with mussels in their shells to add color and flavour. At the end of cooking, some of the potatoes are crushed to thicken the chowder. Oyster crackers are the traditional accompaniment.# Prepare the Chowder Ingredients: Peel the onions, leaving a little of the root attached, and cut them in half through root and stalk. Slice each half horizontally towards the root, leaving the slices attached at the root end, then slice vertically, again leaving the root end uncut. Finally, cut across the onion to make dice.

Peel the strings from the sticks of celery. Cut each stick lengthwise into 5 mm (1/4 inch) strips, then gather the strips together into a pile and cut crosswise into small dice. Peel the carrot and dice into 5 mm (1/4 inch) cubes. “Crunchy celery will become soft and tender when simmered” “Remove tough celery strings with vegetable peeler” #How to Dice Vegetables# Root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes, are often diced before cooking. The size of the dice depends on the thickness of the initial slices. After peeling or trimming the vegetable, if necessary square off the sides, using a chefs knife to achieve a neat finish.

Cut the vegetable vertically into slices of the specified thickness. Stack the slices on the chopping board and cut them into strips of the specified thickness.

Gather die strips together into a pile and cut them crosswise to produce even dice. “Cut across at even intervals for dice” #Prepare the Chowder Ingredients 3/6#

Peel and dice potatoes into 1 cm (1/2 inc) cubes. Put in a bowl of cold water so they do not discolour. “Cold water prevents diced potatoes from discolouring” #Prepare the Chowder Ingredients 4/6# Strip the dill leaves from the stalks and pile them on the chopping board. With the chefs knife, coarsely chop the leaves and set aside for decoration of the finished dish.

Stack the bacon rashers on the chopping board and cut across into strips, then chop the strips into dice.

Rinse the cod fillets thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove any bones and cut the fillets into 2.5 cm (1 inch) strips, then cut them across into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes. Prepare the mussels. “Cubes of cod will cook quickly” #How to Prepare Mussels#

Before cooking, mussels must be carefully scraped and washed to remove barnacles, sand, and the “beard” that attaches them to the poles or ropes on which cultivated mussels grow. With a small knife, detach and discard any weed or “beard” from the mussels. Scrape each mussel to remove any barnacles. TAKE CARE: Discard any mussels that have broken shells or that do not close when tapped.

Scrub the mussels thoroughly under cold running water using a stiff brush. #Make The Chowder# Put the fish stock and bay leaves in the pan and pour in the wine. Heat the stock mixture to boiling and simmer 10 minutes. TAKE CARE: Do not simmer fish stock too long, or it will be bitter. “White wine adds acidity to chowder” “Aromatic bay leaves give depth of flavour to chowder”

Meanwhile, put the bacon in the casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and the fat is rendered (melted), 3-5 minutes.

Add the diced onions, celery, carrot, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not brown, 5-7 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the bacon and vegetables in the casserole and cook, stirring, 1 minute. “Flour helps to thicken chowder” “Stir to distribute flour evenly”

Add the hot stock mixture to the vegetables and bring to a boil, stirring until the liquid boils and thickens slightly.

Drain the potatoes and add them to the casserole. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove the casserole from the heat. Using a fork, crush about one-third of the potatoes against the side of the casserole, then stir to combine. “The crushed potatoes help thicken the chowder.”

Return the casserole to the heat. Add the mussels to the chowder and simmer until the shells start to open, 1-2 minutes. “Tip in cleaned mussels all at once” “Mussels will open quickly in heat of chowder”

Stir in the cubed cod and simmer the howder until the fish just flakes easily, 2-3 minutes longer.

Pour the double cream and bring just to a boil. Taste the chowder for seasoning. #TO SERVE#

Discard the bay leaves and any mussels that have not opened. Ladle the chowder into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with the chopped dill. Serve very hot, with oyster crackers to scatter over the stew. “Creamy chowder is deliciously rich and satisfying”