Harley’s Fish Chowder

Harley’s Fish Chowder is legendary in my family. Even how we ended up with the recipe is a fantastic story. This rich, East Coast chowder has been brought out for special occasions and shared with family and friends for years. Finding the ingredients, especially the lobster pate, has been a challenge since I moved to the US, but it’s totally worth tracking down.

The Legend

Legend has it, a very good friend of my dad’s, Harley, had this amazing chowder recipe. And when the “Boys” were Up North fishing, Harley would make a pot. My dad kept asking Harley for the recipe, but it was a secret he didn’t want to share. So one year, my dad stayed behind the day Harley was cooking, made him a few strong drinks, and secretly wrote the recipe down as Harley cooked. I have a picture of the recipe card. There aren’t any instructions, just the ingredients. My dad has told me how they made it…. but given my dad probably had a few drinks with Harley, we can only assume that it’s actually the complete recipe. Even if it’s not, our version of Harley’s Fish Chowder is fantastic!

Finding the Ingredients

The Lobster Pate might be the hardest ingredient to find. We use a brand from Canada called SeaChange that you can find in specialty grocery stores. You can get it on Amazon, as a three-pack with both smoked salmon and crab pate. I wouldn’t complain about having those around, but it’s a little pricey, so your call. You can leave the lobster pate out, but it adds a little something special. I have added real crab (NOT IMITATION) in a pinch when I can’t find the lobster pate. For the shrimp, you want the little baby shrimp in a can. If you can’t find them and your grocery store has frozen “salad shrimp” those will work too. Get whole, baby clams too. Don’t use the chopped up clams. I mean, it’s fine if you can’t find whole, but the whole ones are better. And you need the clam juice. The salty brine adds so much to the flavor of the chowder.

Potatoes

Make sure you use starchy potatoes like russets. Not waxy potatoes. You start the chowder by adding the potatoes and onions to the pot and then adding just enough water to cover them. Then you add the clam juice, keeping the clams to add later. You need starchy potatoes, because once you start to simmer the soup, you want the potatoes to release the starch creating a milky looking broth. It helps thicken the chowder and gives it the right consistency.

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Special Occasions

My dad only made this once (or maybe twice) a year. It was the kind of thing you had around Christmas or New Year’s. Sometimes, he’d make it one other time during the year. But, one year, that had a disastrous outcome and I’m not sure he ever did it again. Disastrous how? Well, my aunt and uncle used to live around the corner. My dad decided he’d make a pot of his special chowder and take it over to surprise them. He pulled the pot off the stove, walked over to my aunts and slipped on the mat coming in the house. Harley’s Fish Chowder went EVERYWHERE. My aunt’s cat didn’t leave the front hallway for a week. It was a giant mess, and a great story!

No matter when you make Harley’s Fish Chowder, I hope you enjoy it. It’s not a difficult recipe, once you find the ingredients. But the rich, creamy texture makes it feel so special. Serve it with crusty bread covered in butter. You can start your meal with it, or just make it the main course. Whatever you do, let us know what you think!

This is part of Recipes from Friends Week