*  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                     Spicy Fish Chowder (New England)

Recipe By     : 
Serving Size  : 8    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Chowder

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   2      pounds        Cod or haddock fillets
     1/2  teaspoon      Black pepper
                        Cayenne pepper
  24      each          To 36 hard-shelled clams
   4      cups          Boiling fish stock
     1/4  pound         Salt pork -- diced
   2      large         Onions -- chopped
   3      each          Potatoes -- diced
   1      cup           Milk
   1      cup           Heavy cream
     1/8  teaspoon      Mace
     1/8  teaspoon      Cloves
   1      dash          Tabasco sauce
   1      dash          Worcestershire sauce
   2      each          Fresh tomatoes; peeled -- seeded, and chopped
     1/4  pound         Butter
                        Common crackers or oyster -- crackers

Cut the fish into 1-1/2 inch pieces, sprinkle with the peppers and thyme
 (salt will come from the clams and salt pork), and put aside.
Scrub the clams well under cold water to rid them of sand and put them in a pot with a
 little water on the bottom.  Cover pan tightly and steam the clams until the shells open,
 about 15 minutes.  Remove the clams from their shells, saving the broth for the stock.  
Slip the black skin from the foot.  If the clams are large, chop the meat of the foot, and leave
 the soft part in one piece.  If clams are small, use whole.  Strain clam broth through cheesecloth
 into the stock.  Add water, if needed, to make 6 cups.
Fry salt pork until crisp in a ceramic-lined or non-metallic kettle and add onions to soften gently
 without browning.  Add potatoes and then cover with the fish stock.  Simmer about 5 minutes.
Add milk and cream, the seasonings, and the chopped tomatoes.
 (If you have chopped the clam meat, add it now.) Simmer another 5 minutes and taste for seasonings.
Remove pan from heat.  Add fish and clams (whole or the soft bellies) and refrigerate overnight
.  Reheat in a 200 F to 225 F oven just below the simmering point. Put a tablespoon of butter in
 each soup bowl, add soup, and crumble crackers on top or serve them separately.


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