Spicy Fish Chowder

This post was supposed to be about these awesome Cranberry Bars that I was making for Christmas but as you can see by the post title that didn’t work out so well.

Yesterday was just one of those days that I should not have been in the kitchen!  First I bought a new food processor about a month ago and it’s been sitting in the pantry waiting to be used.  I set it up, put in all the ingredients and then the darn thing wouldn’t start!  One of the locks was not catching and the only way I could finally get it working, after about half an hour or so was to hold in the lock button.  Then I went to get the butter to add to the mixture.  I had taken it out the night before to soften up.  I could not find it!  Opened the fridge door and someone had put it back in the fridge! Oh Lord, help me now!  So now I had to wait for the butter to soften up, again…..blend it all in the food processor and poured half in the greased pan.  I noticed that the mixture was a little dry but thought, it will be fine…it wasn’t…once baked, the bars are way to dry and crumbly…you have to eat them with a fork!  So that recipe will have to be readjusted and hopefully I can share it with you again soon!!! hahaha

So now instead, I will share this Spicy Fish Chowder with you.  This recipe is from my mother in law and is quick, healthy, delicious and soooo easy.  If you are like my Newfoundland family, you like to have a fish dish on Christmas Eve and this is perfect!  You can either cook it on the stove, like I did, or put it in the crockpot and cook slowly during the day and then add the fish in over the last 30 minutes.  So flavorful, filling and you can add any type of fish you  have on hand….cod, shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab, squid!!! Serve it with some nice crusty, warm bread to sop up all that amazing juice!  This recipe serves 6 but just double everything for a nice big batch to feed a crowd.  Great leftovers for the next day too! Thanks Ms. Vi for the recipe! 🙂

Spicy Fish Chowder (serves 6) 

• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 large stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups low sodium V-8 Juice
• 1 cup broth, I used beef but also could use vegetable or chicken
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 2 cups brown rice, cooked (Uncle Ben’s microwave pack)
• 2 whole cod fillets, cut in 1 inch chunks (about 1 lb)
• 15 shrimps, cut into pieces

Preparation

Stovetop:  Heat a large pot on stove, add a small amount of oil to bottom of pot and saute green pepper, celery, onions and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add V-8 juice, tomatoes, broth, worcestershire sauce  and spices.  Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Add cod and shrimp and rice, return to boil then lower heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until fish is cooked.

Serve with warm, crusty bread.

Crockpot: Add all ingredients to crock pot except fish and rice.  Either cook on low for 5 – 6 hours or high for 3 – 4 hours.  Add fish and cook for another 45 minutes.

Enjoy! 🙂

DD