Delicious and easy poblano fish chowder! Not a fan of fish? Substitute white fish with fresh shrimp!
Chowder, Soup or Stew?
Call it what you will, it’s delicious and easy to prepare. It takes longer to prep the ingredients and patiently wait for the chowder to thicken. I kept it light by using 1% milk combined with chicken broth. For an extra rich version of this chowder you can use heavy cream instead of the light milk. Half and half work great too!
Poblanos Are So Underrated!
I use poblano peppers in many of my recipes. Fresh, uncooked, sauteéd, blended and roasted. I find them so versatile in my Mexican recipes. They are even delicious pickled with some carrots and onions for a taco garnish.
Use Ingredients On Hand!
Unless I have a specific recipe in mind, I always try to keep a well stocked pantry and refrigerator. I don’t go crazy buying ingredients, especially not the fresh produce. I keep enough to use in recipes for that week. Like my abuelita Sarita used to tell us, La Bandera is a must! La bandera(the flag) in Mexico is green, white and red. Green chile peppers, white onions and red tomatoes! I am rarely out of those.
Packaged Fish Makes My Life Easy! Lol!
I make my cooking experience easier by purchasing packaged fish filets. Plus the fact that fresh seafood is not readily available. I have had good experiences with using frozen seafood. Handling it properly is the key in most cases.
To Bouillon or Not To Bouillon?
Good question! It’s a matter of personal choice. There are many, many choices out there if you prefer not to use bouillon in your recipes. Many people prefer to avoid it because it contains MSG. There are many options to choose from these days with no MSG. My first choice would always be homemade stock if possible. That will put your recipe over the top, in my opinion.
Do I Have To Use Flour?
If you prefer not to use flour as a thickener, it’s still going to be delicious. Once the soup is all combined and vegetables are cooked through, mix a cornstarch slurry. A slurry is simply cornstarch dissolved in cold water. It must be cold water though. I take 2 tbsp cornstarch and mix it with 2 tbsp cold water. I drizzle it in to my simmering soup and immediately add my fish in. The chowder will thicken as it heats. Doesn’t take very long.
Poblano Fish Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 poblano peppers
- oil
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 jalapeños sliced thin or minced
- 2 stalks of celery sliced thin
- 3 red potatoes diced
- 3 cups 1% milk
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 lb firm white fish cod, mahi mahi or halibut
- cotija or parmesan cheese grated
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Turn broiler on high. Wash and dry poblanos, drizzle with a little oil and rub all over surface of peppers. Place poblanos on baking sheet. Transfer to oven about 10 inches below broiler. Broil for 10 minutes, flip over and broil for another 10 minutes. Transfer peppers to a plastic bag and let steam until ready to add to the recipe.
- While peppers are under the broiler, take out two pots. In a medium pot, pour in the 3 cups of milk and 3 cups of broth. Stir in the 3 tsps of bouillon and heat at medium/low heat.
- In another larger pot, add the 6 tbsp of unsalted butter. Heat at medium.
- Once butter melts, add the onion, garlic, jalapenos and celery. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes. add the potatoes to the pot. Saute for 3-5 more minutes.
- Mix in the flour to the pot. Stir gently to distribute the flour evenly. Cook for 2 minutes.
- When ready, slowly pour in the warm milk/broth into the pot with vegetables. Stir well to combine. Continue cooking at heat right below medium until potatoes are fork tender and broth becomes slightly thick.
- Peel blistered skins from poblano peppers. Remove seeds and stems and dice the peppers. Transfer to pot.
- Once potatoes are fork tender, gently stir in the fish. Cover the pot. Set your timer for 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with grated cheese and hot sauce. Serve with saltines.
Notes
Reader Interactions
Comments
Would Love to Hear From You
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I made this tonight and it was very good. I’m learning a lot about cooking from your recipes. I’m going to try your moles sometime
Thank you Possum! I am so happy that my recipes are encouraging you to get in your kitchen and cook. I appreciate your feedback!
Amazing! So warm and delicious for Fall. I’m bringing this for a thanksgiving party today.
Good recipe, but it calls for jalapeños in the recipe list that the instructions don’t mention.
Joshua, I see the jalapeños on instruction number 4. I just checked it out.