Seafood Chowder

From a local restaurant, The Loaf and Ladle--if you like soups and sandwiches, it's a good cookbook, by Joan Harlow, who started the restaurant. My favorite chowder, ridiculously easy, really. You want to be careful with chowder--it's fragile and shouldn't be overheated. Just hot--not boiling, or the cream can "break" or curdle.... More
Prep:15m Cook:40m Servings:4

Ingredients
2 large potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 quart of stock (I use 2 cups fish stock and 2 cups chicken stock for richer flavor)
1 bay leaf
2 ounces salt pork (cut into small pieces)
1 large onion (peeled and diced)
2 cans evaporated milk, or 3 cups light cream (I use the cream, but she says that if you're going to leave this on the heat for a while, use the evap. milk, as it's more stable and won't curdle.)
2 TBSP butter
salt and pepper to taste
3/4-1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/2 lb bay scallops
1 7 oz can chopped clams
1 good size fillet of firm whitefish (haddock or cod) cut into approx 2 inch pieces

Directions
1-.Peel and dice potatoes and put them in the stock to boil. Add the bay leaf.
2-.Cook the salt pork in a skillet over medium heat until enough fat is rendered to saute the onions in.
3-.Remove the salt pork from the pan and cook the onions in the rendered fat.
4-.When the onions are translucent, add them to the potatoes in the stock. (Potatoes are ready when you can bite into them, but they are still firm.)
5-.Return the salt pork to the skillet and continue to cook until they're brown and crispy. Save them for garnishing the chowder later.
6-.Add the butter, thyme and parsley to the stock.
7-.Next add all of the seafood to the chowder. It should not be boiling, just simmering lightly. You don't want to overcook the seafood.
8-.Add the cream or evap. milk, season with salt and pepper, and just heat until the cream is heated through, don't boil.
9-.Serve in warm bowls, garnished with the salt pork.