Cod Chowder with Bacon

This Cod Chowder with Bacon, loaded with Yukon gold potatoes and a bite-sized pieces of cod, will warm you up and fill your tummy on a snowy day. 

I live in the Los Angeles area where snow is really rare, as in almost never. However, we have just had a whole week of rain and temperatures in the 50s (also known as "freezing" around here)! This gave everyone a chance to break out cool rain boots, beanies, and pretty wool scarves, and pile our beds with lots of blankets.

Fortunately, we didn't have any significant mudslides or flooding after this week of rain, and the temperatures next week will be in the 70s. No one complained as we needed the rain.

However, this weather called for soup that is comforting and warms you up. Enter this cod chowder!

Make this cod chowder with bacon recipe: 

This cod chowder was killer good, as in "do I really have to share it?" good. One of the reasons is that I used the leftover shrimp stock that I had frozen after making this herb and wine poached shrimp cocktail.

One of my favorite secret ingredients is shrimp stock. It is so flavorful. Whenever I make a shrimp dish, I freeze the shells to make stock later. It is so worth it.

This is a photo of the defrosting shrimp stock. It's gold!!

If you don't have shrimp stock, you can substitute bottled clam juice. You will still have a delicious, creamy, and briny broth.

How do you make this cod chowder?

First, you fry the bacon to render the drippings and brown the bacon. Next you sweat some onions, celery, and garlic in the bacon drippings (and some butter) and then create a roux with some flour.

Add some wine and deglaze the pan, and then add the shrimp stock or clam juice, potatoes, and herbs. Once the potatoes are just about cooked through, add some milk and cream, seasonings, and the cod. Add some lemon juice as a final touch and serve garnished with the bacon and some parsley.

Leftovers of this soup hold up really nicely. This is a hearty and delicious chowder and will be on regular rotation in our house.

If you love cod as much as I do, definitely try Cod Soup from County Cork as well. 

Today is National Soup Swap Day. Who knew? Kate's Recipe Box is hosting a round up of soups to celebrate. This "holiday" also coincides with Soup Saturday Swappers, hosted this month by Palatable Pastime. What does this mean? Double soup for you!!

National Soup Swap Day Recipes

• Slow Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Soup by Kate’s Recipe Box
• Beef Noodle Soup by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Black Bean Soup with Bacon by Food Above Gold
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cod Chowder with Bacon by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• French Onion Soup by The Redhead Baker
• German Goulash Soup by Savory Moments
• Healthy Crockpot Split Pea Soup by Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats
• Herbed Chicken and Spinach Soup by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup by Palatable Pastime
• Italian Asiago Artichoke Ham & Bean Soup by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Italian Wedding Soup by Cooking For My Soul
• Parsnip Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slow Cooker Beef and Barley by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Slow Cooker Creamy Potato and Ham Soup by Blogghetti
• Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup by The Spiffy Cookie
• Stuffed Pepper Meatball Soup by Tip Garden
• Vegan Thai Roasted Carrot Soup by The Baking Fairy

Snow Day Soups:

An InLinkz Link-up

soup, chowder, cod, potatoes, bacon

soup, appetizer

American

Yield: 6 servingsAuthor: Karen Kerr

Cod Chowder with Bacon Recipe

ingredients

• 6 ounces diced bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups of shrimp stock or clam juice
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon of minced fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot sauce to taste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to taste
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of cod fillets cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Chopped fresh parsley and hot sauce for garnish

instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven or saucepan until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. 
2. Add the butter to the bacon fat in the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic. Cook, covered, for seven minutes, until softened. 
3. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes. 
4. Add the shrimp stock (or clam juice), diced potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. 
5. Add the milk, cream, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Return the pot to a simmer and add the cod. Simmer for about 7 minutes until the cod is cooked through. Stir in the lemon juice. 
6. Serve topped with the bacon and parsley. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2019/01/cod-chowder-with-bacon.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Created using The Recipes Generator

This recipe was adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue No. 133 Jan/Feb 2019