The Coziest Ina Garten Baked Fish Chowder Recipe Ever

Baked fish chowder transforms ordinary seafood into a comforting culinary masterpiece that warms both body and soul.

Maritime traditions inspire this rich, creamy dish packed with robust flavors and tender marine proteins.

Coastal kitchens have long celebrated such hearty preparations that elevate simple ingredients into extraordinary meals.

Regional cooking techniques blend seamlessly to create a harmonious symphony of textures and tastes.

Skilled home cooks understand how carefully selected components can elevate a basic recipe into something extraordinary.

Each spoonful promises an immersive experience that connects you with oceanic traditions and time-honored cooking methods.

Bold ingredients dance together, creating a memorable dining adventure that satisfies deep hunger and culinary curiosity: prepare to be delighted.

Why Ina’s Baked Fish Chowder Feels Like Comfort

• Savor Layered Flavor Complexity: This chowder builds depth through strategic ingredient placement, with bacon fat sautéing vegetables, wine deglazing, and multiple layers creating a rich, harmonious taste profile.
• Enjoy Elegant Baking Technique: Unlike traditional stovetop chowders, this recipe uses oven-baking to gently cook potatoes and fish, ensuring tender textures and preventing ingredient breakdown while allowing flavors to meld seamlessly.
• Embrace Gourmet Comfort Food: The combination of seafood stock, saffron, Pernod, and fresh herbs transforms a classic comfort dish into a sophisticated meal that feels simultaneously familiar and elevated, perfect for special gatherings or cozy dinner nights.
• Experience Minimal Hands-On Cooking: With most preparation happening in the oven, this recipe minimizes active cooking time, making it accessible for home cooks who want a delicious, restaurant-quality meal without constant stirring or complex techniques.

Gather Ingredients for Baked Fish Chowder Success

• Cod: Delicate white fish that becomes tender and flaky when baked, best when fresh and sustainably sourced.
• Bacon: Provides rich, smoky flavor and crispy texture to the chowder, preferably thick-cut for maximum crispness.

• Onions, Celery: Classic chowder base that builds deep, savory flavor and provides textural foundation.
• Thyme: Delicate herb that adds earthy, subtle flavor complementing seafood perfectly.

• Half-and-Half, Heavy Cream: Creates luxurious, silky texture and rich flavor in the chowder.
• Seafood Stock: Delivers concentrated ocean-like essence, enhancing overall seafood profile.
• White Wine: Adds acidity and depth, helping to deglaze the pot and integrate flavors.
• Saffron Threads: Premium spice that introduces golden color and distinctive exotic taste.
• Pernod: Optional anise-flavored liqueur that provides complex, slightly sweet undertone.

• Potatoes: Hearty vegetable that thickens chowder and provides comforting starchiness.
• Salt, Black Pepper: Essential seasonings for balancing and enhancing all other ingredients.
• Fresh Parsley: Bright garnish that adds fresh color and light herbaceous note.

Cooking Steps for Cozy Baked Fish Chowder

Step 1: Warm Up the Oven

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare your cooking vessel for a delicious journey.

Step 2: Crisp the Bacon

• Bacon

Place bacon in a heavy Dutch oven or large pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden and crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, keeping the flavorful fat in the pot.

Step 3: Build Vegetable Foundation

• Onions
• Celery
• Fresh thyme
• White wine
• Salt
• Black pepper

Sauté onions, celery, and thyme in bacon drippings for 10-12 minutes until vegetables soften and develop a light brown color. Pour in white wine, add salt and pepper. Scrape any browned bits from pot bottom and simmer briefly.

Step 4: Create Layered Potato Base

• Potato slices
• Butter

Divide the onion mixture. Spread half in pot bottom, layer with potato slices and butter. Top with remaining onion mixture and complete with final potato and butter layer.

Step 5: Introduce Liquid Gold

• Seafood stock
• Saffron threads

Pour heated seafood stock over layers and sprinkle saffron. Cover pot and bake for 30-40 minutes until potatoes become nearly tender.

Step 6: Prepare Fish Chunks

• Cod

Cut cod into large 1×3 inch pieces. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 7: Create Creamy Finishing

• Half-and-half
• Heavy cream

Stir cream mixture into pot. Gently nestle fish pieces into liquid, ensuring they’re fully submerged. Bake covered for 20-30 minutes until fish flakes easily.

Step 8: Add Flavor Enhancers

• Crispy bacon
• Pernod

Fold in reserved bacon and Pernod. Let sit covered for 5 minutes to marry flavors.

Step 9: Serve with Love

Ladle chowder into wide bowls. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve piping hot with crusty bread on the side.

Tips for Thick, Creamy Fish Chowder

• Choose Ultra-Fresh Cod: Select the highest quality, freshest cod available from your local fishmonger or seafood market for maximum flavor and perfect texture.
• Respect the Saffron Splurge: Invest in this luxurious spice, using just a pinch to transform the chowder's depth and create an extraordinary culinary experience.
• Slice Potatoes with Precision: Cut uniform potato slices to guarantee even cooking and a consistent, creamy consistency throughout the chowder.
• Nestle Fish Gently: Carefully submerge cod into the liquid, allowing it to cook evenly and absorb the rich, complex flavors of the broth.
• Master the Flavor Fusion: Allow the chowder to rest briefly after adding bacon and Pernod, enabling the ingredients to meld and intensify the overall taste profile.

How to Store Leftover Fish Chowder

• Freeze Wisely: Portion the chowder into individual freezer-safe containers for easy, single-serving meals. Seal tightly with airtight lids, removing as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 2 months, ensuring maximum flavor preservation and convenient future dining.
• Prevent Separation: Store the chowder with a layer of plastic wrap directly touching the surface to minimize milk proteins from forming a skin. This simple trick maintains the creamy texture and prevents unwanted moisture accumulation during refrigeration.
• Reheat Carefully: Warm the chowder slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add a splash of extra cream or milk to restore the original silky consistency if the soup appears too thick after storage.

Variations for Even More Seafood Goodness

• Spicy Seafood Fusion: Replace cod with a mix of shrimp, mussels, and scallops. Add red pepper flakes and smoked paprika for extra heat and depth.
• Mediterranean Herb Infusion: Swap thyme for fresh rosemary and oregano. Include diced roasted red peppers and a splash of lemon juice for a bright Mediterranean flavor profile.
• Smoky Salmon Coastal Version: Substitute cod with wild-caught salmon chunks. Incorporate smoked paprika and use applewood-smoked bacon for a rich, complex taste experience.
• Vegetarian Potato Chowder: Remove fish and bacon, replace with plant-based alternatives like firm tofu or cauliflower chunks. Use vegetable stock and add nutritional yeast for a creamy, savory base.

Final Ladle of Baked Fish Chowder

Garten’s baked fish chowder emerges as nautical poetry, weaving coastal comfort with culinary sophistication.

Saffron-infused seafood stock whispers maritime stories beneath creamy layers of tender cod.

Crisp bacon crumbles add rustic depth, while delicate herbs dance across each spoonful.

Silky textures and rich flavors transport palates from kitchen to windswept shores.

Coastal New England tradition finds new life through this masterful recipe.

Passionate cooks, share this maritime masterpiece, spark conversations, and spread delicious inspiration across digital landscapes.

Ina Garten Baked Fish Chowder Recipe

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4.7 from 17 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Ina Garten’s baked fish chowder brings New England coastal comfort to dinner tables with creamy, hearty goodness. Rich with tender fish, potatoes, and a velvety broth, this recipe invites warm memories of seaside kitchens where simple ingredients create extraordinary meals.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Main Protein:

• 900g / 2 pounds fresh skinless cod fillets
• 225g / ½ pound thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, ¾-inch diced

Vegetables and Aromatics:

• 1.35kg / 6 cups yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced crosswise (3 large)
• 375g / 3 cups (½-inch) diced celery (6 large stalks)
• 450g / 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2-inch diameter), peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Liquids, Dairy, and Seasonings:

• 950ml / 4 cups seafood stock, heated to a simmer
• 175ml / ¾ cup good dry white wine, such as Chablis
• 120ml / ½ cup half-and-half
• 120ml / ½ cup heavy cream
• 55g / 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons Pernod liqueur
• ¾ teaspoon saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Minced fresh parsley for garnish

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Instructions

1. Prepare the bacon by placing it in a medium-sized (10 to 11-inch) Dutch oven or heavy pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden brown and crisp. Transfer the bacon to a separate plate using a slotted spoon.
2. Utilize the rendered bacon fat to sauté onions, celery, and thyme. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring periodically, until the vegetables become soft and develop a light caramelization.
3. Deglaze the pot with white wine, adding of salt and of black pepper. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and allow the mixture to simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Create layers in the pot by dividing the onion mixture. Spread half the onion mixture as the base, then arrange a layer of potatoes and dot with butter. Repeat the layering process with the remaining onion mixture, potatoes, and butter.
5. Introduce heated seafood stock and sprinkle saffron threads over the layered ingredients. Cover the pot and transfer to a preheated oven at 175°C / 350°F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the potatoes approach tenderness.
6. Prepare the cod by cutting it into large chunks approximately 1 x 3 inches in size. Season the fish with of salt and 1½ teaspoons of black pepper.
7. Incorporate half-and-half and heavy cream into the partially cooked potatoes. Gently nestle the seasoned fish into the liquid, ensuring it is completely submerged. Return the covered pot to the oven and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes until the fish is fully cooked and flakes easily.
8. Enhance the chowder by folding in the crispy bacon and Pernod, taking care to maintain the fish’s integrity. Allow the pot to rest, covered, for 5 minutes to harmonize the flavors.
9. Serve the chowder in shallow bowls, garnishing with freshly chopped parsley. Present the dish hot, allowing diners to appreciate the rich, layered flavors.

Notes

• Choose the freshest cod available to ensure a rich, delicate flavor that transforms the entire chowder experience.
• Add a pinch of saffron threads, which might seem expensive but delivers an incredible depth and golden-orange color that elevates the dish beyond ordinary seafood soups.
• Slice potatoes uniformly to guarantee consistent cooking, preventing some chunks from turning mushy while others remain hard and undercooked.
• Gently nestle fish into the simmering liquid, allowing it to absorb surrounding seasonings and cook evenly without breaking apart.
• Allow the chowder to rest briefly after adding bacon and Pernod, giving ingredients time to meld and intensify their complex flavor profile.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Category: Lunch, Dinner
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 273
• Sugar: 2.2g
• Sodium: 339mg
• Fat: 15g
• Saturated Fat: 9.1g
• Carbohydrates: 15g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 20g
• Cholesterol: 90mg