Fish on Fridays: Clam Chowder

Fish on Fridays: Clam Chowder

It is almost fall. For me, that means surf fishing, shellfish and soup season, and it is my favorite time of the year!  

Read more:
https://judsonc.substack.com/p/fish-on-fridays-clam-chowder

John and I also observe meatless Fridays, but don't have the options of coastal living. And, I'm not a fan of typical farm-fisheries, so the seafood side of our meatless Friday regimen can get a bit pricey. We usually have fish of some sort, but it's often entirely dependent on what's both available and what fits the budget. This week, we 'caught' a decent deal on walleye. Occasionally, though, our neighbor brings in a fantastic haul of paddlefish or crappie, from the lake, and we trade our eggs for his fish.

Something I love about cooking fish is that similarly to the recipe interchangeability of red meats, or of poultry, most* fish recipes &/or methods work well with multiple types of fish.

* not necessarily with salmon...

Carla Burke wrote:John and I also observe meatless Fridays, but don't have the options of coastal living. And, I'm not a fan of typical farm-fisheries, so the seafood side of our meatless Friday regimen can get a bit pricey. We usually have fish off some sort, but it's often entirely dependent on what's both available and what fits the budget. This week, we 'caught' a decent deal on walleye. Occasionally, though, our neighbor brings in a fantastic haul of paddlefish or crappie, from the lake, and we trade our eggs for his fish.

Something I love about cooking fish is that similarly to the recipe interchangeability of red meats, or of poultry, most* fish recipes &/or methods work well with multiple types of fish.

* not necessarily with salmon...

Where I live, in the mountains of NC, trout, bluegill and catfish are my main options.  That is why I try to find inexpensive recipes for folks who don't live near the coast.  Like last week's fish cakes recipe, the chowder recipe works great with most any fish or shellfish, fresh, frozen or canned.  I was surprised to find a catfish stew festival down in SC, and a lot of them were milk based.  I was even more surprised to find they had so much variety and that they were all so good!

Oh, NICE, Judson! I know you have a heart for those who are struggling, and I greatly appreciate that about you - and your cooking methods. If anything, I was rather wistfully remembering the incredible diversity of fish and seafood around the Great Lakes (where I grew up), and the coastal waters I tend toward, when I get the chance to travel. Central Missouri, even being so very close to Lake of the Ozarks as I am, pales in comparison. But, I can get a reasonable facsimile, with most of what is readily available here, (as well as the frozen and canned) simply through the versatility of most recipes, so I don't grumble about it...often. 😇🤣

Carla Burke wrote:Oh, NICE, Judson! I know you have a heart for those who are struggling, and I greatly appreciate that about you - and your cooking methods. If anything, I was rather wistfully remembering the incredible diversity of fish and seafood around the Great Lakes (where I grew up), and the coastal waters I tend toward, when I get the chance to travel. Central Missouri, even being so very close to Lake of the Ozarks as I am, pales in comparison. But, I can get a reasonable facsimile, with most of what is readily available here, (as well as the frozen and canned) simply through the versatility of most recipes, so I don't grumble about it...often. 😇🤣

Yep, I understand.  My childhood was in the eastern NC swamps and on the coast, where nearly every variety of fish and seafood was either free or cheap. All we didn't have was the cold water fish, the cod, whitefish, northern pike and such.