What makes a home more than just a house? Beyond the people, the stories, and the love, the heart of a home is the food. When I buy handmade I do it with the intention of supporting people doing what they love, building a vibrant economy, and knowing the stories behind the objects I fill my life with. There is nothing more handmade or more valuable then food grown, harvested, and cooked with love and intention-it tastes better than anything and comes with the added bonus of building local sustainable community. So grab your baskets! Today we are headed to the Lunenburg Farmer’s Market to cook up a recipe for building our new life by the sea.
I am a true coastal girl and have spent my life treasure hunting on the shores of both the Pacific and Atlantic, to me nothing says home like a bowl of chowder, filled with gifts from the ocean and land. The very first step to any great seafood is to connect with the fishermen & women who know the local waters, coastal markets almost always have a fish stall who can hook you up, frozen seafood is always a let down so be picky! Any mix of fresh fish and shellfish will do but for our chowder I used the following ingredients…
Farmer’s Market Seafood Chowder shopping list:
- 2 lbs steamer clams
- 2 lbs mussels
- 1 lb haddock fillets
- 1 lb scallops
- bunch of young leeks
- one small white onion
- bunch of heirloom carrots
- 2 baking potatoes
- 1 lb new baby white potatoes
- 2 cups light cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 cups water
- handful of fresh dill & tarragon
- splash of white wine
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Start by scrubbing the clams & mussels with a brush, finely dice the small onion + one small carrot, add everything to a large lidded pot + the 5 cups of water, wine, and a few sprigs of dill + tarragon. Steam for 4-6 minutes or until all the shells have opened. Let cool for a few minutes, shuck (remove from shells) all the clams and 3/4 of the mussels and put in the fridge, strain the cooking liquid and set aside (this is your stock).
Dice up the baking potatoes very fine and chop the carrots and leeks (in a perfect world your mama will be there to help with the chopping). In a large heavy bottomed pot splash some olive oil. Sauté leeks and carrots 3-5 minutes until the leeks begin to wilt, add the diced baking potatoes and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the reserved stock and simmer over med-low heat until the diced potatoes disintegrate and thicken the chowder 15-20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add the diced new white potatoes and the shucked shellfish, simmer another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Roughly chop the haddock fillets and add fish to the chowder base, then add the cream and scallops. Simmer over very low heat until the fish and scallops are cooked through.
Season with salt and pepper, ladle into warm bowls and garnish with a sprig of dill or tarragon. Serve with fresh crusty bread and good sweet butter. Don’t forget to give thanks & praise to the ocean and the earth before you dig into nature’s bounty, it is a beautiful foodie world we live in friends!
This recipe serves 8-10 so be sure to invite your family and friends, for an authentic coastal kitchen party add music, laughter, silliness, and good conversation (they make the sweetest seasoning of all).
I hope you have all had fun partying in the kitchen with us during the last month of summer! Since food and family are two of the most important things in my life it has been a joy to share my loves with you and to have my mama with me helping out. Keep your eyes out next month for the free PDF cookbook of all our recipes and submissions, until then, as Julia would say, ‘bon appétit!’.
Sources of local goodness:
