Darden Pickall’s Chesapeake Bay Rockfish Head Chowder

This is a chowder for true chowder lovers. It requires a little time and effort to make the homemade stock and the roux to thicken the chowder but you’ll see it’s well worth the work. It’s a classic, wholesome, creamy, and rich with the taste of fresh fish. Pickall used 3 large rockfish that a friend caught for him. If, like me, you lack such a good friend, look for the freshest rockfish you can find at your local fishmonger.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

For the rockfish stock:

4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots, thinly sliced
6 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry sherry
3 or 4 dried bay leaves
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup chopped parsley stems and leaves
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
Heads and bones of 3 large rockfish (Save meat for chowder, remove gills from heads and make sure all blood is washed off from the bones and heads)
3 to 6 quarts boiling water

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large soup pot (8 to 10 quarts).  Add the carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns.  Cook and stir until vegetables become soft and somewhat clear, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Arrange the heads and bones of the fish on top of vegetables, add the sherry and cover with a tight lid.  Let the heads and bones “sweat” for about 10 minutes.  They should be bright white at this point.

Add just enough boiling water to cover the heads and bones of the fish.  Stir the mixture gently a couple of times and bring to a simmer.  Let the stock simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If foam or scum forms on top of the stock gently scoop it off, trying not to remove any spices.  After 10 minutes remove the pot from the heat, stir it, and let it steep, covered, for another 10 minutes.

Drain the stock through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.  Discard the bones and vegetables.  Season the stock with salt to taste.  Use the stock immediately or chill it, uncovered, as quickly as possible if not being used within the hour.  After the stock is chilled you can cover it and keep it refrigerated for about a week or you can freeze it for up to 3 or 4 months.

For the chowder:

1 medium piece salt pork, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
4 to 8 cups rockfish stock (see recipe above)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
Roux (optional thickener; see below)
1 pint heavy cream
Fillets and belly meat from the fish used to make stock, cut into 1-inch cubes (make sure all bones and blood have been removed)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Kosher or sea salt to taste

For the roux (optional, used to thicken the chowder if needed):

4 tablespoons of unsalted, farm fresh butter from Trickling Springs Creamery
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk from Trickling Springs Creamery

Tools:

-- Heavy cast iron enameled Dutch oven
-- Cheesecloth
-- Immersion blender  

In a large (5 1/2 quart) Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, cook the ‘salt-back pork’ over medium heat until the skins becomes hard and toasted.  With a slotted spoon, remove the cracklings to a paper towel-lined  bowl. Save the cracklings to be used later as a garnish.  Add the butter to the pork fat and stir in the onions, cooking them until they become soft and clear, 7 to 8 minutes.  Pour in 4 cups of the stock and bring to a light simmer. Use an immersion blender to puree the onions with the stock. This adds a nice sweetness and creamy texture.

After the onions are blended, add the potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and more stock if needed so as to fully cover the potatoes.  Bring the stock to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are just tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.  When the potatoes have a nice white border but are still clear in the middle, remove them with a slotted spoon (they will continue to cook and soften in the chowder). Remove the sprigs of thyme and the bay leaves and reserve the stock.

While the potatoes are cooking Pickall likes to make a roux and set it aside just in case he wants to thicken his chowder.  To do this; melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a medium size frying pan (the more surface area the better).  Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of flour, stirring constantly until the mixture is lightly brown and creamy in texture.  Slowly whisk 1 1/2 cups of milk, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and creamy, making sure there are no lumps.  Cover and set aside.

Reheat the stock until it starts to simmer.   Add the cream and roux, if you like, and mix it all together using the immersion blender.  You can also take a small handful of the cooked potatoes and blend them into the stock to help thicken it. The immersion blender does a wonderful job of mixing and blending all these ingredients.  Season the stock with salt--it won’t hurt if you over-season it because when you had the fish later the saltiness will be dispersed throughout the fish and you will end up with a perfectly seasoned chowder.  Over-salting now also means there will be less stirring of the chowder after the fish is added--too much stirring can cause the delicate cooked fish to fall apart.

After you have a nice white creamy stock, line a clean fine mesh strainer with the cheesecloth and pour the stock through it into another bowl.  Do this 2 or 3 times; the cheesecloth helps to impart an almost velvety texture and smoothness to the stock while also removing any lumps or other unwanted items.  Return the strained stock to the pot and bring it to a light simmer. Add the potatoes, and then 5 to 10 minutes before serving add the fish meat.  After the fish has been added gently stir everything together and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cubes of fish are white and fall apart easily.

Serve the chowder hot, garnished with the crackling, diced chives, and oyster crackers.  Enjoy!

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