There are times when the beauty in this life stops you dead in your tracks. A misty mountain vista with shades of blue and purple, a fiery orange sunset that lights up the sky, an uplifting piece of music. The same could be said of a New England bouillabaisse. When it’s done right, it’s like […]

Zuppa di pesce, a tomato-based Italian fish soup, probably has as many variations as there are stars in the galaxy. Though it’s called a soup it’s more like a stew and usually also includes a variety of shellfish. My guess is that zuppa di pesce was the precursor to cioppino, the famous Italian-American seafood stew […]

People who like clams generally speaking you’ll fall into one of two categories: clam lovers and clam likers. Clam lovers can be summarized in four words: the brinier the better. They love raw clams on the half shell, steamers dipped in clam broth and the clammiest clam dishes you can possibly make. If that describes […]

The first time I made this recipe I made it the way everyone makes a mussel bisque. That is, you steam the mussels, strain the broth, remove the mussel meats from the shells and set them aside. Then you make the bisque. The reserved mussel meats are added whole at the end. Well, I didn’t […]

A scallop bisque is a rarity in the bisque world. You don’t see it much, if ever, on restaurant menus, do you? Let’s face it, 99% of all bisques made in restaurants are lobster bisque. I’ll take an educated guess and say you’ve never tried a scallop bisque before. Me either until I made this […]

Ever have a salmon bisque? Of course not! Neither did I until I made it myself. A true bisque is typically made with shellfish because the shells make a deeply flavored stock. It’s the shellfish stock, not the meat, that’s truly the key to making a great tasting bisque. Fish stock, wonderful as it is […]

Welcome to Fearless Eating’s Ultimate Guide to New England Chowder! This is the most comprehensive post available online about New England’s most iconic meal. It includes not just 12 chowder recipes but also information on the history of chowder, essential ingredients, regional styles, and lots lots more. If you’re here just for the recipes, you […]

I grew up fishing for bluefish every summer on the Long Island Sound and it’s among my fondest childhood memories. Man do they put up a fight! But it’s only recently that I’ve learned to appreciate them for their culinary potential. Bluefish have a high oil content which means they’re fantastic eating when prepared fresh but […]

Contrary to what most residents of New England believe, tomatoes and clams can make a truly harmonious union in chowder. The problem is that they rarely do. As a native New Yorker, I have to admit that it’s pretty rare that I get excited over a Manhattan clam chowder. Most taste like an insipid tomato […]

Few New Englanders are aware that there’s another style of New England clam chowder that is a tomato-based red clam chowder. This may be shocking to most New Englanders who once tried to criminalize adding tomatoes to chowder. But in pockets around New England there’s exists a little-known Portuguese red clam chowder that bares little resemblance […]

The defining characteristic of Maine-style clam chowders is that traditionally they’re made with milk and never thickened with flour. In comparison to other types of New England chowders, the northernmost New England versions are on the thinner and brothier side of the chowder spectrum. This doesn’t mean a milky Maine clam chowder isn’t hearty and delicious! […]

If you have strong opinions about chowder you might freak out when you learn about a Long Island clam chowder. Judging from the cover pic you’re probably already a little alarmed. Yeah, it’s pink. I know, strange, isn’t it? We all know chowder allegiances run deep in the Northeast. Everyone claims the version they grew […]