Coastal Swordfish & Root Vegetable Chowder
Soften onion, celery and carrot in butter in a deep soup pot, add the sweet and white potatoes for 3 minutes, and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Sprinkle in flour, pour in white wine, and stir until it thickens, then add chicken stock, cream and chopped cooked swordfish. Simmer over low heat until the potatoes soften, about 20 minutes, adding more cream for a thicker chowder or more stock for a thinner one, and garnish with parsley.
A great chowder is winter comfort in a bowl, and this coastal version is heartier than most: a creamy base studded with tender root vegetables and chunks of meaty swordfish. Swordfish is the perfect chowder fish — firm and substantial, it holds its shape and gives the soup real heft. Warming, creamy, and full of the sea and the soil at once, it is the kind of chowder that makes a cold evening feel cozy and well-fed.
The Creamy Root-Vegetable Base
The base is where a chowder gets its comfort. Soften the aromatics, add the hearty root vegetables, and simmer them in a creamy, well-seasoned broth until they turn tender and lend the soup their earthy sweetness. The root vegetables give the chowder its body and rustic heartiness, so cut them small and even, the potatoes into ½-inch cubes and the carrot into ¼-inch pieces, and cook them until just tender. The cooked swordfish goes in with the stock and cream, and everything simmers together.
Poaching the Swordfish
Swordfish is meaty and forgiving, but it still wants gentle heat. The swordfish goes in already cooked, so stir the chunks in with the stock and cream and keep the chowder at a low simmer — boiling would toughen them. The fish will hold its shape and lend the chowder a substantial, satisfying bite. Pull the pot once the potatoes are soft, and ladle the creamy, chunky chowder into bowls, steaming and generous.
Coastal Swordfish & Root Vegetable Chowder
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a deep soup pot.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrot.
- Stir and cook until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the potatoes.
- Cook for 3 minutes more.
- Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Sprinkle in the flour.
- Pour in the wine.
- Stir until the liquid thickens and begins to reduce, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and cream.
- Stir in the swordfish.
- Reduce the heat and simmer the chowder over low.
- Continue to cook until the potatoes soften and the stock is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
- For thicker stock, add more cream.
- For thinner stock, add more chicken stock.
The Heart of the Table
A pot of chowder is honest, warming generosity — creamy, hearty, and made to fill a bowl and a belly on a cold day. To simmer the sea and the harvest together into something this comforting and set it, steaming, before your table is the kind of unpretentious hospitality that says come in from the cold, sit down, and let me warm you up.
The Art of the Host
A heavy pot is the one essential for even, gentle heat. Dice the root vegetables small and even and cook them until just tender, and simmer the cooked swordfish gently over low so it stays firm and moist. Taste for salt at the end, and finish with fresh herbs or a crack of pepper for brightness against the richness.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: The chowder can be made ahead and reheats beautifully over low heat, which keeps the swordfish tender and makes this a relaxed dinner to have waiting on a busy or cold day.
- The Pour: A medium white like an unoaked Chardonnay suits the creamy, meaty chowder. For a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling apple cider or a lemon soda cuts the richness.
- The Vibe: This is hearty, warming, cold-weather comfort — ladle the creamy, chunky chowder into bowls with crusty bread or oyster crackers. It is a substantial, satisfying soup that tastes of the coast, made for a chilly evening and a cozy table.