Creamy Fish Chowder: Make it Again, Good

I love soups but have always been a bit intimidated when it comes to making them. This is something I want to change and today was a first step toward that change. I don't know if it's the thought of the cold weather leaving us soon, or talks of Norway (which makes me think of the amazing fish soup our friend Helene is famous for and made for us when we were there) but I have had the hankering for fish soup lately. I opened up 'The Soup Bible' cookbook, something that I bought a few years ago but had never made anything from, and found a bookmarked recipe for Creamy Fish Chowder. A simple enough recipe that sounded pretty good.
And good it was! Chris liked it enough to say that I should make it again, which says a lot. (when I make something new and he says that it's good I always ask does that mean 'it was good as a one time try' or good as in 'it was good and I should make it again'. This got a 'make it again' good. (!)
And so because of my success of making soup, and the positive reviews by my critic, I would like to share with you this recipe for..

Creamy Fish Chowder "A traditional soup that never fails to please.."

Ingredients: 

3 thick-cut slab bacon slices

1 large onion, minced

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, diced

1 quart fish stock

1 pound skinless haddock, cut into 1-inch cubes (I substituted cod)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

1 1/4 cups whipping cream or whole milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Remove any rind from the bacon and discard it. Cut the bacon into small pieces. Chop the onion and cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes

*Fry the bacon in a deep saucepan until the fat is rendered. Add the onion and potatoes and cook over low heat, without browning, for about ten minutes. Season to taste.

*Pour off excess bacon fat from the pan. Add the fish stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

*Stir in the cubes of fish, the parsley and chives. Simmer 3-4 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked 

*Stir the cream or milk into the chowder and reheat slowly. Do not bring to a boil. Season to taste and serve at once. 

ENJOY!

I will definitely be trying my hand at more soups. The only other soup I have made was Chicken Wild Rice, which is my favorite, and I am still looking for the perfect recipe for it. A note about The Soup Bible- NO Chicken Wild Rice recipe. None. Maybe it's my Minnesota upbringing, but come on. A book that claims to be the bible of soups, stating on the cover: "All the soups you will ever need.."(emphasis directly from the book) and it doesn't include Chicken Wild Rice??? Blasphemy.