My inspiration for this chowder is living so close to the water with an abundance of fresh seafood to choose from. The nice part of this recipe is its versatility. The first part of the chowder is a rich tomato broth base, and the second part is adaptable, allowing you to swap out any of the seafood based on seasonal availability and your own personal preference.
Is it soup or stew? Early versions of chowder originated from the New England area: a frugal recipe consisting of pork fat, onions, potatoes, fish, herbs, and dry biscuits or flour for thickening. The ingredients were layered in a pot and cooked in water, with a bit of milk added at the end. In the 1800s, Manhattan clam chowder was notable for containing tomatoes. Manhattan clam chowder has been described as "that rather horrendous soup resembling a vegetable soup that accidentally had some clams dumped into it." All respect, Mr. Beard, but those are fighting words. As a New Yorker and from coastal Long Island, an East Ender, we take our chowder VERY seriously.
Tomato-based clam chowders emerged with the newfound popularity of the tomato in the mid-1800s, particularly in the New York and Rhode Island regions, where large populations of Italians and Portuguese were established. In 1939, Maine legislators introduced a bill outlawing tomatoes in chowder because it is far more of a vegetable soup. What?
Manhattan Style Seafood Chowder
Makes 6-8 servings
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1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup fennel, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups Yukon potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1/2 pieces
2 cups fresh plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped, or 1 (28-ounce can of chopped San Marzano tomatoes)
2 cups vegetable or fish broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
For the seafood:
1 dozen fresh littleneck clams
1/2 pound fresh cod, cut into one-inch pieces
1/4 pound calamari, cleaned and cut into thin rings
1 pound mussels, cleaned
a few leaves of fresh flat-leaf parsley, basil, and oregano
fresh ground pepper to taste
Preheat a large soup pot to medium temperature. Add olive oil, onions, fennel, carrots, and garlic, and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, broth, potatoes, and dried basil. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add clams and cod fish, and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Add fresh basil, parsley, and mussels, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until mussels open.
Add fresh ground black pepper to taste & serve immediately.
