Miso Fish Chowder

Date Published: Sept 18th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 18th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: soup, mains
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

This Miso Fish Chowder tastes just like a clam chowder, but is thinner, more brothy, made with fish instead of clams and not as heavy. It’s made with white miso for an umami punch and packs in a ton of flavour.

The original recipe is from NYT Cooking but I’ve made a few changes with addition of ingredients and also doubled the batch because this soup is just so damn good that it always disappears too quickly. My recipe will make enough to serve 8, but feel free to halve the recipe if you like, but this soup freezes incredibly well and is perfect for meal-prep days.

Although this recipe doesn’t have actual clams in it, it does use clam juice as one of its main ingredients. Clam juice is the broth that comes from steaming clams. While it doesn’t sound the most appetizing, it is important in this recipe to get that seafood/clam/umami flavour infused into the soup. There are a couple brands out there, but one of the most popular ones is by Bar Harbor. I found these bad boys at my local Whole Foods near the seafood section for about $4 per bottle.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1kg (2 lbs) skinless white fish fillets (cod or barramundi work well), sliced to 3cm pieces
Pinch of salt
8 slices of bacon, diced
3 Tbsps unsalted butter
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2/3 cup (200g) white/shiro miso
1.2kg (2.5 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
960ml (4x 8oz bottles) clam juice
4 cups water
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
5 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 can of whole sweet corn kernels, drained
Serve: oyster crackers or crusty bread

Directions:

Add a pinch of salt to both sides of the fish pieces and set aside until ready to use.

In a large soup pot on MED heat, add in the diced bacon and sauté until crispy (~5 minutes) then set aside onto a paper towel-lined plate.

In the same pot, using the residual bacon grease, add in 3 Tbsps butter and stir until melted. Add in the celery, leeks, pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper. Sauté until the celery has softened (~8 minutes).

Next add in the white miso paste and mix well until there are no clumps and sauté for 3 minutes to slightly caramelize the miso.

Add in the potatoes, clam juice, 4 cups water, and 2 sprigs thyme. Mix well, turn the heat on to HIGH to let the soup come to a boil, then turn the heat down to LOW and simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to break with a spoon (15 minutes).

Add in the 1 cup heavy cream and the white part of the sliced scallions. Let the soup come to a simmer then add in the fish pieces (from step 1). Continue to simmer until the fish is flakey and cooked (~5 minutes).

Stir in the corn kernels until heated through, then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle on the cooked crispy bacon (from step 2) and the green part of the sliced scallions to garnish. Serve with oyster crackers or crusty bread. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Miso Fish Chowder

Date Published: Sept 18th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 18th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: soup, mains
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

1kg (2lbs) skinless white fish fillets (cod or barramundi work well), sliced to 3cm pieces
Pinch of salt
8 slices of bacon, diced
3 Tbsps unsalted butter
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2/3 cup (200g) white/shiro miso
1.2kg (2.5 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
960ml (4x 8oz bottles) clam juice
4 cups water
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
5 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 can of whole sweet corn kernels, drained
Serve: oyster crackers or crusty bread

Directions:

Add a pinch of salt to both sides of the fish pieces and set aside until ready to use.
In a large soup pot on MED heat, add in the diced bacon and sauté until crispy (~5 minutes) then set aside onto a paper towel-lined plate.
In the same pot, using the residual bacon grease, add in 3 Tbsps butter and stir until melted. Add in the celery, leeks, pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper. Sauté until the celery has softened (~8 minutes).
Next add in the white miso paste and mix well until there are no clumps and sauté for 3 minutes to slightly caramelize the miso.
Add in the potatoes, clam juice, 4 cups water, and 2 sprigs thyme. Mix well, turn the heat on to HIGH to let the soup come to a boil, then turn the heat down to LOW and simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to break with a spoon (15 minutes).
Add in the 1 cup heavy cream and the white part of the sliced scallions. Let the soup come to a simmer then add in the fish pieces (from step 1). Continue to simmer until the fish is flakey and cooked (~5 minutes).
Stir in the corn kernels until heated through, then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle on the cooked crispy bacon (from step 2) and the green part of the sliced scallions to garnish. Serve with oyster crackers or crusty bread. Enjoy!

September 18, 2025September 9, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Hearty Chicken Corn Chowder – the ultimate comfort food

Date Published: Dec 27th, 2024 | Last Updated: Dec 27th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: soups
Serves: 6 (as mains) | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

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Chicken corn chowder is the ultimate comfort food for me. No matter what’s going on in this world, a big bowl of this soup seems to always hit the right spot. It’s especially fitting for this cold weather we’ve been having lately!

My version of a chicken corn chowder packs a ton of vegetables and protein because I like my soups hearty and filling. It also makes a large pot of soup, enough for at least 6 large portions. The jalapeño is optional if you prefer a bit of a kick.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

200g (~6 slices) bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper/capsicum, diced
1 raw jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced (optional, for a mild kick, keep the seeds in if you like it spicier)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper + more to taste
1 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
1 tsp paprika (ideally sweet smoked, but any will do)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 chicken breasts (or 2 large ones), skinless, boneless
1kg (4 med-large) potatoes, peeled and diced to 2cm cubes
2 cans of corn, drained or cut the kernels off 3 ears of sweet corn
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In a large soup pot on MED heat, add in the chopped bacon and cook until browned and crispy then remove onto a paper towel and set aside.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pot and add in the 2 Tbsps butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the diced onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, jalapeño (if using) and minced garlic. Mix everything together and cook until the vegetables are soft enough to break with the spatula (5-8 minutes).

Sprinkle in the 1/2 cup flour and stir until well combined for 1-2 minutes so the flour cooks a little.

Add in the 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp paprika. Mix together then slowly add in the chicken broth 1 cup at a time while mixing to ensure there are no clumps and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot.

Once all the chicken broth has been added, add in the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream. Stir everything together and let the soup come to a boil.

Add in the 3 whole chicken breasts. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Once the chicken has cooked, remove the breasts and set aside on a plate.

Add the diced potatoes and corn to the soup and continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked (~10 minutes).

While the potatoes are cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken (don’t worry if it’s a little undercooked in some parts).

Add it back into the pot along with half the amount of cooked bacon (from step 1).

When the potatoes are soft enough the break with a spatula, add 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and mix. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Done! Serve hot with a sprinkle of the rest of the cooked bacon (from step 1) sprinkled on top.

Summarized Recipe:

Hearty Chicken Corn Chowder – the ultimate comfort food

Date Published: Dec 27th, 2024 | Last Updated: Dec 27th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: soups
Serves: 6 (as mains) | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

200g (~6 slices) bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper/capsicum, diced
1 raw jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced (optional for a mild kick, keep the seeds in if you like it spicier)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper + more to taste
1 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
1 tsp paprika (ideally sweet smoked, but any will do)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 chicken breasts (or 2 large ones), skinless, boneless
1kg (4 med-large) potatoes, peeled and diced to 2cm cubes
2 cans of corn, drained or cut the kernels off 3 ears of sweet corn
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In a large soup pot on MED heat, add in the chopped bacon and cook until browned and crispy then remove onto a paper towel and set aside.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pot and add in the 2 Tbsps butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the diced onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, jalapeño (if using) and minced garlic. Mix everything together and cook until the vegetables are soft enough to break with the spatula (5-8 minutes).
Sprinkle in the 1/2 cup flour and stir until well combined for 1-2 minutes so the flour cooks a little.
Add in the 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp paprika. Mix together then slowly add in the chicken broth 1 cup at a time while mixing to ensure there are no clumps and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot.
Once all the chicken broth has been added, add in the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream. Stir everything together and let the soup come to a boil, then add in the 3 whole chicken breasts. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Once the chicken has cooked, remove the breasts and set aside on a plate. Add the diced potatoes and corn to the soup and continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked (~10 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken (don’t worry if it’s a little undercooked in some parts) then add it back into the pot along with half the amount of cooked bacon (from step 1).
When the potatoes are soft enough the break with a spatula, add 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and mix. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Done! Serve hot with a sprinkle of the rest of the cooked bacon (from step 1) sprinkled on top.

December 27, 2024December 15, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Cantonese Fried Fish with a Corn Gravy (粟米斑塊)

Date Published: April 14th, 2024 | Last Updated: April 14th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: Asian, easy, mains
Serves: 4-6 (1 large plate) | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 30 mins

Jump to recipe |

This dish a wrapped in nostalgia for me. It’s fried fish fillet pieces with a cornstarch/egg/corn gravy drizzled over top. It’s a savoury dish with a little sweetness in the sauce. Serve over a bed of jasmine rice and some veggies.

When our family first moved to Canada from Taiwan, there were limited options of Asian restaurants and grocery stores in our neighbourhood at the time. I remembered my mom always went to the same small Asian grocery store and beside it was a little Asian restaurant called ‘New Asia’. It was a small place with no more than 4-5 tables, each with a thick layer of disposable white plastic tablecloths on top. We’d either dine-in or mom would occasionally get takeaway to bring home after a visit to the grocery store next door. On one dine-in occasion, I must’ve been about 8-9 years old at the time, it was a quiet wintery night and there was only one other table apart from ours at the restaurant. My mom was taking care of us 3 kids on her own and suddenly the older white couple at the other table came over to us and gave us their order of corn fish that had just arrived at their table. They said it was really good and we had to try it. I thought it was really random that these strangers were offering us part of their dinner, but my mom didn’t want to be rude so she accepted it. There is a lot of similarity and overlap in Taiwanese/Chinese/Cantonese cuisine, but I had never seen corn fish before. It looked like a weird plate of corn goop over fish and at first we were skeptical, but we all tried it and it was AMAZING! Ever since then, that corn fish dish became one of our favourite items to order. Sadly, that restaurant has since closed down (ages ago, actually) and I had forgotten all about that dish until in recent years I was walking past a Cantonese restaurant in Melbourne and they had their menu with blown up photos pasted all over their windows and surprisingly, corn fish was one of the photos! It brought me right back to those childhood days eating this dish with my mom and siblings.

This recipe has been on my to-cook list for a while and I have no idea why it took me so long to actually attempt it, but it’s actually so much easier than I thought and it cooks up quickly. I’m proud to be adding this to my recipe collection. 😊

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Fish marinade:
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 Tbsps cornstarch
- 1 green onion, minced
- 800g boneless, skinless white fish fillets (ie. cod, haddock, tilapia, sole, pollock)
4 cups of neutral oil for frying (ie. vegetable oil, canola oil)
Breading:
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup corn starch
Creamy Corn Gravy:
- 3/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 can (418g) creamed corn/cream style corn
- 1/4 tsp chicken stock powder
- 1 egg, beaten
Salt and black pepper to taste
Garnish (optional): sliced green onion

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the fish and slice it into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.

Marinate the fish: In a bowl, mix together the salt, white pepper, cornstarch, and green onion. Add in the sliced fish and mix well, ensuring every piece is coated. Be careful not to break the fish when you mix. Set aside and let it marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare the breading: Beat the eggs into a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch.

Heat the oil in a small pot. Once the oil starts to shimmer or if it sizzles when you add in a bit of flour, it’s ready for frying.

Bread and deep fry the fish: When the oil is nearly hot enough, start breading the fish. First coat the fish in the beaten egg (prepared in step 3), then coat it in the flour and cornstarch mixture.

Gently drop the breaded fish pieces one at a time into the hot oil. Only add enough to not overcrowd the pot, roughly 6-7 pieces per batch. Move the pieces around, making sure they’re not sticking to each other and not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the outside is slightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish from the oil and let it cool on a rack. Repeat this process until all of the fish is fried. Once all of the fish have been fried, fry them all a second time for 2 minutes per batch, starting from the most cooled batch first. This will make the fish extra crispy. Once finished, turn off the heat and set the fried fish aside on the cooling rack while you prepare the corn gravy.

Make the corn gravy: In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water, ensuring there are no lumps. Set aside.

In a saucepan on MED heat, add a small drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the creamed corn, chicken stock powder, and the cornstarch/water mixture. Whisk everything well and let the sauce come to a boil. Turn the heat down and drizzle the beaten egg into the sauce. Slowly mix it around until the egg is cooked. You want swirls of cooked egg, so don’t over mix it. Once the egg has cooked, turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper to taste.

Finishing touches: To serve, put the fried fish pieces onto a serving plate and pour the hot corn gravy over top. Garnish with sliced green onion. Serve immediately with a side of rice. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Cantonese Fried Fish with a Corn Gravy (粟米斑塊)

Ingredients:

Fish marinade:
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 Tbsps cornstarch
- 1 green onion, minced
- 800g boneless, skinless white fish fillets (ie. cod, haddock, tilapia, sole, pollock)
4 cups of neutral oil for frying (ie. vegetable oil, canola oil)
Breading:
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup corn starch
Creamy Corn Gravy:
- 3/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 can (418g) creamed corn/cream style corn
- 1/4 tsp chicken stock powder
- 1 egg, beaten
Salt and black pepper to taste
Garnish (optional): sliced green onion

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the fish and slice it into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
Marinate the fish: In a bowl, mix together the salt, white pepper, cornstarch, and green onion. Add in the sliced fish and mix well, ensuring every piece is coated. Be careful not to break the fish when you mix. Set aside and let it marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare the breading: Beat the eggs into a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch.
Heat the oil in a small pot. Once the oil starts to shimmer or if it sizzles when you add in a bit of flour, it’s ready for frying.
Bread and deep fry the fish: When the oil is nearly hot enough, start breading the fish. First coat the fish in the beaten egg (prepared in step 3), then coat it in the flour and cornstarch mixture. Gently drop the breaded fish pieces one at a time into the hot oil. Only add enough to not overcrowd the pot, roughly 6-7 pieces per batch. Move the pieces around, making sure they’re not sticking to each other and not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the outside is slightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish from the oil and let it cool on a rack. Repeat this process until all of the fish is fried. Once all of the fish have been fried, fry them all a second time for 2 minutes per batch, starting from the most cooled batch first. This will make the fish extra crispy. Once finished, turn off the heat and set the fried fish aside on the cooling rack while you prepare the corn gravy.
Make the corn gravy: In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water, ensuring there are no lumps. Set aside. In a saucepan on MED heat, add a small drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the creamed corn, chicken stock powder, and the cornstarch/water mixture. Whisk everything well and let the sauce come to a boil. Turn the heat down and drizzle the beaten egg into the sauce. Slowly mix it around until the egg is cooked. You want swirls of cooked egg, so don’t over mix it. Once the egg has cooked, turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper to taste.
Finishing touches: To serve, put the fried fish pieces onto a serving plate and pour the hot corn gravy over top. Garnish with sliced green onion. Serve immediately with a side of rice. Done!

April 14, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment