Tomato-Based Fish Chowder

With Helene Spoto

You can have this light, easy and delicious fish chowder ready in no time. Onion, garlic and tomato, combined with fresh fish, create a delicate broth that is both healthy and satisfying. Ladled over a scoop of orzo and served with crusty bread, this recipe is great to serve to family or company. You can add scallops or shrimp to the chowder for extra flavor.

Ingredients

1 pound orzo pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 ounce canned diced tomatoes with juice
3 14 ounce cans of water
1 red potato, diced
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
2 pounds scrod, haddock or cod, cut into equal sized pieces

Instructions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a stockpot or large soup pot, sauté onions & garlic in olive oil until clear.
3. Add canned tomatoes with the juice and bring to a gentle bubble.
4. Add the three cans of water.
5. Add potatoes (make sure liquid covers the potatoes by a couple of inches) and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are fork tender.
7. Add capers, parsley, salt & pepper. Stir.
8. Gently place fish pieces into the pot so that they are submerged in the broth. Do NOT stir as the fish can start to break up.
9. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until fish is cooked.
10. Ladle soup into bowls that have already been filled with a scoop of cooked orzo.

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Helene Spoto, Helene's Custom Cuisine, 2010.

Proprietor & Cooking Instructor, "Helene's Custom Cuisine - Personal and Business Culinary Services."

Helene is still surprised how she became a cooking instructor. She always loved to cook, however, having a busy career as co-owner of Sentry Financial Planning in Burlington & Danvers; she didn’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. Looking for ways to simplify her cooking while still making great food, she learned to adapt recipes in order to make them quick, healthy and still taste great. Helene was so excited about her discoveries she began sharing them with family and friends. She had no idea that this hobby would turn into an opportunity to show so many people how easy this can be as a cooking instructor for the past six years.

With Helene’s Custom Cuisine, her goal, whether it’s a private or group cooking class, interactive dinner party, team building event or corporate on-site cooking demonstration, is to help people discover that preparing delicious food can be done quickly and easily with great results.

Still, the most important three words to describe my cooking are: Quick Healthy Delicious

She lives in Andover with her husband, John.