Chowder is considered to be quite unhealthy, as traditional chowder recipes rely heavily on the use of butter, heavy cream, bacon and high amounts of salt.
A single 1 cup serving of creamy New England clam chowder for example has around 180 to 540 calories depending on the portion size and the recipe.
Cream based chowders also often contain up to 40 grams of fat per large serving, which include high levels of saturated fat.
And canned or even restaurant chowders usually contain 700 to over 1,000 milligrams of sodium per cup of chowder, which is also nearly half of your daily recommended limit.
Although chowder does contain some healthy ingredients, and nutrients and is okay to eat in moderation.
Clams in chowder provide high amounts of iron, protein, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids and chowders often contain potatoes, onions and corn and add some fiber and vitamins.
Healthy choices for chowder include Manhattan style chowder which is tomato based and has less calories and less fat than cream based chowders.
You can also make your own chowder healthier by using low fat milk instead of cream and add extra vegetables and reduce the salt you use in the chowder.
The three types of chowder are New England Chowder, Manhattan Chowder and Rhode Island Chowder.
New England Chowder is also known as New England Clam Chowder (White) and contains milk or cream for the base and clams, potatoes, onions and salt pork and bacon and is thick and creamy and is white in color.
Manhattan Chowder is also known as Manhattan Clam Chowder (Red) and uses tomato broth for the base and for the other ingredients Manhattan Clam Chowder contains clams, potatoes, celery, carrots and herbs and of course the tomatoes for the base.
Manhattan Clam Chowder (Red) is also red in color and thin and tangy.
And for Rhode Island Chowder also Known as Rhode Island Clam Chowder (Clear), the base is made of clear clam juice or broth and the other ingredients are Clams, potatoes, onions, and salt pork (no milk and no tomatoes), and it's light and briny in texture and is clear.
Common mistakes when making chowder are boiling the dairy until it curdles as well as overcooking any seafood into a rubbery texture, over blending the potatoes or over cooking the potatoes so that the base turns gluey and adding too much flour thickener, and failing to build a strong flavor base with aromatics.
For the boiling of milk or cream in chowder, adding the dairy too early or allowing the pot to reach a hard boil will cause the chowder to curdle and break.
You should always lower the heat before you stir in cream into your chowder.
Also skipping the rest time for chowder is also a common mistake with making chowder because serving chowder immediately after cooking and making it misses out on flavor integration.
Allowing the chowder to rest off heat for a few minutes deepens the taste.
Mistakes that are commonly made when making chowder that involve the texture and seafood include, rubbery seafood, gluey potatoes and heavy handed thickening.
Overcooking the seafood like clams, fish or other seafood turns them tough and chewy.
So you should add the delicate seafood at the very end of cooking your chowder just to heat it through.
Overcooking or over blending the starchy potatoes releases too much amylose, which results in a pasty, gluey texture instead of a smooth broth.
And dumping in too much flour or cornstarch into your chowder makes the chowder heavy and pasty, instead of being naturally rich.
And for flavor foundation mistakes with chowder, using bland seasoning and forgetting to sweat the onions, celery or render the bacon fat first leaves the base flat.
To make great chowder, start with a flavorful base like rendered bacon fat, choose waxy potatoes that keep their shape, use real seafood stock or clam juice for depth, and stir in your cream or delicate seafood at the very end so they do not overcook or curdle.
Building Flavor and Base for your chowder:
Start with pork: Render diced bacon or salt pork in your pot first.
Cook your onions and celery in that leftover fat.
Use clam juice: Boost your broth with bottled clam juice or a rich fish stock instead of just water or plain milk.
Add aromatics: Drop in a bay leaf or a pinch of fresh thyme while the base simmers.
Potatoes and Thickening for your chowder:
Choose waxy potatoes: Use Yukon Gold or red potatoes so they stay tender without falling apart and turning the soup mushy.
Make a quick roux: Whisk a little all-purpose flour into your butter and bacon drippings before adding liquids to create a velvety base.
Use natural starches: Let some of the potato starch thicken the soup naturally, or mash a few potato pieces against the side of the pot.
Adding Dairy and Seafood to your chowder:
Time the seafood right: Add pre-cooked or canned clams, or delicate fish and shrimp, during the last few minutes of cooking to keep them tender and chewy-free.
Stir in cream late: Add heavy cream or half-and-half near the end of the cooking process so the dairy does not curdle or scorch.
Let it rest: Turn off the heat and let the chowder sit for five to ten minutes before serving so the flavors settle and the temperature drops to a safe level.