A hearty meal that can be enjoyed at any time of the year is a bowl of chowder. You can add almost any kind of ingredient to give your chowder the flavors that you want depending on the profile that you’re trying to achieve. When you get New England chowder in Boston restaurants, you’ll usually notice that there is seafood including clams or lobster. You can also leave the meat out and make your meal with corn and potatoes. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re making your own chowder or looking for the best in restaurants.
Flavor from the Beginning
As soon as you start making your chowder, you need to add flavors that will stand out. Bacon is a good ingredient to begin with as it delivers a smoky taste and aroma. You could also use pancetta or chorizo. You’re going to use the fat from the ingredient that you choose to bring out the flavors of the main components in your chowder, such as clams or lobster.
Make Your Stock
The stock that you use when making your chowder should consist of fresh ingredients to get the best flavors possible. When you taste New England chowder in Boston, you’ll usually notice that fresh fish is used instead of canned broth or clam juice. When you’re making your stock, you only need to let the fish simmer in the water for about 45 minutes. A small amount of butter and cream can be added as well for flavor.
Herbs
You’re not going to use a lot of herbs when you’re making chowder, but the ones that you do use need to be fresh. These will deliver the best flavors and will bring out the seafood, potatoes, corn, and other ingredients that are used in the chowder instead of the herbs only being used as a topping. Our seafood is fresh, simple, and delicious.
Find out more tips for New England Chowder by contacting Boston & Maine Fish Company.