Recipe Rescue: Creamy Fish Chowder gets a Makeover

by The Meal Makeover Moms on October 16th, 2009

Even though we’re dietitians, we don’t typically freak out too much when we see a little bit of butter or cream in a recipe. But when a dish calls for three cups of light cream and eight tablespoons of butter, we tend to do a double take. Here’s why: One cup of light cream has 46 grams of fat and 29 grams of saturated fat while a tablespoon of butter has 12 grams of fat and about 7 grams saturated fat. (The healthy upper limit for saturated fat intake is 20 grams per day).

A few weeks back, Kristin from Manic Mommies posted a recipe for Pam’s Fish Chowder, one of her family’s favorites. Made with the three cups of cream and eight tablespoons of butter that we just mentioned, we decided that an intervention was in order!  We”re huge fans of the Manic Mommies’ blog and podcast, and we contribute a recipe to their blog each week — so it’s not like we just randomly offered to give someone’s recipe a “rescue” out of the clear blue sky.

Kristin was psyched when we got in touch with our Recipe Rescue proposition. “I recently renovated my kitchen and now I want to cook more. My kids have a great palate and they like vegetables, so I want to expose them to new foods. They love this chowder, though I don’t make it often because of all the cream,” Kristin said.

For our Rescue, we lightened things up quite a bit. We cut back on the butter and replaced some of it with olive oil. We also nixed the cream entirely and used a mix of 1% lowfat milk and all-natural chicken broth instead. To thicken the milk/broth combo, we used a roux. For added nutrition, we tossed in some diced carrots.  “I liked the carrots more than I expected, and I might even add some peas for my husband Steve the next time I make it,” Kristin told us.

This past weekend, we got in the car and drove to Kristin’s house to cook up our new, skinny version of her chowder.  Her 4-year old daughter, Sophie and fellow Manic Mommy Erin joined in the fun.   While we were there we recorded their weekly (and zany) podcast with them.  There were lots of laughs to go around!

Skinny Fish Chowder
Makes 6 Servings

  • 1 ¼ pounds white fish such as cod, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound yellow or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (that’s about 2 large potatoes or 3 cups diced)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 12 ounces to 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (2 to 2 ½ generous cups diced)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry wine or ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 ounce pancetta ham or 2 slices all-natural bacon, finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 1% lowfat milk
  • 2 cups all-natural chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, optional
  • Oyster crackers, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Place the fish, potatoes, onion, carrots, olive oil, sherry wine, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, pepper, dill, and celery seed in a Dutch oven, and gently stir to combine.

3. Cover and bake until the fish is cooked and the vegetables are tender, 1 hour.  Remove from oven and set aside.  About 15 minutes before the fish is done, prepare your “cream” sauce.

4. Sauté the pancetta in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and heat until melted.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly (it may look lumpy at first, but keep whisking until smooth).

5. Whisk the milk and broth slowly into the flour mixture. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and whisk in the sour cream as desired.  Add the sauce to the fish mixture and stir gently to combine. Remove the bay leaf.  Serve in individual bowls and top with oyster crackers as desired.

Tip: When cooking for a crowd (or if you want leftovers), double the recipe.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 generous cup):  320 calories, 13g fat (4g saturated, 0.2g omega-3), 400mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 23g protein, 180% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 15% calcium

The original recipe had 470 calories, 28g fat, and 18g saturated fat per 1 generous cup serving.

mmm-kitchen-fish-chowder-testing

Of course, the proof is always in the pudding. Since Sophie was on hand to help, we asked her what she thought of her mom’s  new recipe. She told us it was yummy” and gave it two-thumbs up. As for Kristin, “I can now make it more often since it’s so much lighter.”

We plan to make this recipe too (thanks Kristin)! It’s one of those hearty soups that really sticks to your ribs. And since all of our kids liked it, we suspect it will become a regular dinner dish this winter.

Check out our Flickr page for more photos of our kitchen adventures with the Manic Mommies.

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6 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Dinner, Potatoes, RecipeRescue, Seafood, Soups/Stews 

6 Responses to “Recipe Rescue: Creamy Fish Chowder gets a Makeover”

  1. Erin on October 16th, 2009

    I think I might make the chowder this weekend! YUM!

  2. Carolyn on October 19th, 2009

    This is Carolyn from Dish on Dieting …..I love this recipe because who doesn’t love New England Clam Chowder but I hate seeing how many calories one cup contains..forget the bowl! Why not get all of the
    fabulous flavors with this Creamy Fish Chowder …without the
    fat and calories that throw your diet into the deep end. (:

  3. Angela at mommy bytes on October 23rd, 2009

    Loved your show with the Manic Mommies. And I went over to vote for you guys on Foodbuzz. It s a tough call with Pioneer Woman right next to you, but you got my vote ;) . Good luck, and I’ll be sure to try out this recipe!

    BTW, I was taught to make roux by my mom who is Chinese (so it is not really roux at all but one of the thicker sauces you see in Chinese dishes)… She always mixed the flour into the cold liquid to get the lumps out (comes out easily), and then poured it into the fat and cooked it together. It thickens up just the same, but with no lumpiness while cooking. Not sure if it tastes different having the flour cook in the fat first or afterwards with the liquid.

  4. The Meal Makeover Moms on October 23rd, 2009

    Angela: Thanks for your vote! We appreciate it (we like the Pioneer Woman too).

    What you’re describing sounds similar to a “slurry” which Baron’s describes as: thin paste of water and flour, which is stirred into hot preparations (such as soups, stews and sauces) as a thickener. After the slurry is added, the mixture should be stirred and cooked for several minutes in order for the flour to lose its raw taste.

    We’ve used the slurry method a lot but prefer using a roux … it makes for a nicer sauce all around.

  5. Jen on October 27th, 2009

    We made this Chowder this past weekend. My VERY picky 6 year old ate an entire bowl! My husband and I will be using this recipe again. Loved it.

    and just to add, we don’t normally buy 1% milk, so we used skim. AND we have a dairy free kid in the house so we normally just buy Earth Balance Margarine Sticks (in the Health Food Section) we used that in lieu of butter. and…

    STILL delicious, even skinnier! Thanks so much. Another fun & informative podcast to add to my repertoire.

  6. Podcast 91: Rancho La Puerta Adventure | Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen on February 3rd, 2010

    [...] Shrimp Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa > Skinny Fish Chowder > Bibb & Arugula Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado & Goat Cheese > Braised Kale & [...]

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