Every summer when I was younger, my mom would pack up my sister and I and we would head to the east coast for a couple of weeks. It was, hands down, one of the best parts of my childhood. We usually spent a week in Massachusetts visiting my grandparents and then headed up to Maine to spend a week with my aunt. I loved that week of summer. We lived at the beach, ate lots of lobster and my sister and I each had a great friend that lived across the street that we could hang out with.

One of the things I looked forward to every year was the fish chowder that Aunt Meg always had waiting for us when we got there. She always made a gigantic batch and we would eat it for several meals throughout the week.

A couple years ago, I got the original recipe from her and made it a few times for the hubby and I. However, her recipe involves salt pork and since we don't eat meat anymore, I decided to adapt the recipe, so that we could still enjoy it!

As far as chowders go, this one is pretty healthy! I use skim milk instead of cream or half and half so it's not quite as thick or rich as typical chowders, but trust me when I say it still tastes great! You don't even need that extra fat I also added some extra veggies to my version because you can never have too many, right?!

Ready for the recipe?

Simple Fish Chowder

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (any color works)
• 1/2 c corn
• 2-2.5 lbs haddock
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (more if desired)
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 c low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 c Skim milk

Directions:

1. Place the fish in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil. Saute until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. In a large Dutch oven, saute the potatoes, onions, carrots and peppers over medium high heat until potatoes start to soften (about 10 min).
3. Add the broth, corn and spices and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft.
5. Add the flaked fish and skim milk and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve warm.

Hint: The leftovers are even better than the original so make it a day in advance if you can!

Tips:
-Feel free to add more milk or broth if you want more liquid!
-Haddock is my favorite fish for chowder but any other firm white fish will work.
-If you eat meat, add some salt pork or bacon for flavor if you want to!

So tell me: What food brings back great childhood memories for you?

Enjoy!
--Lindsay--

photo credit: Lori L. Stalt