Name: Bermuda Fish Chowder
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 1/2 hr
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings (about 12 cups)
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; 1 leek (white and pale green parts only), chopped; 2 carrots, chopped; 1 celery rib, chopped; 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped; 2 large garlic cloves, minced; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice; 5 cups water; 2 1/4 lb mixed white fish fillets such as cod, grouper, tilefish, and snapper, skin and bones removed; 1/4 cup tomato paste; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon whole allspice, tied in a cheesecloth bag; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled; 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste; 3 tablespoons cornstarch stirred together with 3 tablespoons water; 12 small hard-shell clams such as littlenecks, scrubbed; 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined; 2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1/4 cup dark rum, or to taste; 2 tablespoons Sherry pepper sauce

When WABC-TV visited gourmet's test kitchens several months ago, the cameraman, Fred Mason of Teaneck, New Jersey, said we had to try his Bermuda fish chowder. He usually makes it for a crowd—you should double the recipe if you want to serve this robust fish stew at a party. Though cooking seafood for a long time may seem unusual, it is traditional for a Bermuda-style chowder, and we think you'll agree with Mason (and with us) that this chowder is first-rate. The special pepper sauce that completes the dish will transport you to the island.

In Bermuda, fish chowder is spiked with local rum—usually Gosling's Black Seal. And the finishing touch is Sherry pepper sauce, a Bermudian condiment.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Recipe notes

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