CHAUDIERE DE POISSON (FRENCH FISH CHOWDER)

Chaudiere De Poisson (French Fish Chowder) image

Provided by Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey

Categories dinner, soups and stews, appetizer

Time 45m

Yield Six to eight servings

Number Of Ingredients 23

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Ingredients

5 pounds fish bones with head and gill removed
2 cups dry white wine
6 cups water
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled but split in half
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3 sprigs fresh parsley
2 ribs celery, broken in half
Salt to taste, if desired
15 peppercorns
1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 2 1/2 cups
4 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 cups finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped leeks
1/2 cup flour
2 pounds white, nonoily fillets of fish such as flounder, sole or cod, or a combination of such fish
1/2 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons Ricard or Pernod, optional
Finely chopped parsley for garnish

Steps:

In a kettle or deep saucepan, combine the fish bones, wine, water, coarsely chopped onions, bay leaf, split cloves of garlic, thyme sprigs, parsley sprigs, celery, salt and peppercorns. Simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids.
Meanwhile, prepare the potatoes and let them stand in cold water.
Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the minced garlic, finely chopped onions, green pepper and leeks. Cook, stirring, about 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture is wilted.
Sprinkle with flour and stir to distribute it evenly. Drain the potatoes and add them to the saucepan. Add six cups of the fish broth made in the first step. Let simmer 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the fish. If flounder or sole is used, you will note that there is a line of tiny fish bones running down the center of each fillet. Run a knife on each side of this line and discard it. Cut the fish fillets into one-and-one-half-inch cubes. Add the cubed fish to the chowder. Simmer about five to 10 minutes. Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper and Ricard or Pernod. Serve piping hot sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 932, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 32 grams, Fat 36 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 110 grams, SaturatedFat 8 grams, Sodium 2072 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 0 grams