Fish Chowder
Inspired by Hans Wegner
The undisputed Master of the Chair Hans Wegner’s Danish roots have inspired this Fish Chowder. From his humble beginnings (he was trained as a cabinetmaker), to the start of his career as an assistant to Arne Jacobson, to his now-icon status with more than 500 different chair designs alone to his name— Wegner’s love of natural materials and an intrinsic understanding of design and function is the stuff of legends. Design fans flock to Denmark for modern design and of course food too. Now a bastion of cutting edge cuisine (think Noma)— Denmark has its roots in rustic simple dishes. The abundance of seafood— specifically cod and other whitefish across Scandinavia has resulted in a bounty of seafood dishes, whether pickled, boiled or fried— all are hearty and delicious. While there is little documentation of what the esteemed Wegner ate, in the same that his chairs are a studied alchemy of the best ingredients, I’d like to think he would appreciate this fish chowder. Simple ingredients, simply but thoughtfully prepared, resulting in something delicious. Pull up a chair, take a seat, and have a spoonful.
See this recipe on The Purist…
“Food and design? Yes, there’s a connection. What makes shelter a home? What makes food into cuisine? While the techniques are vastly different, the intent behind them are the same. Thought and consideration, creativity and attention matched with function as the foundation. Here are three dishes that pay tribute to some of our 20th century design icons who have captured our imagination— Luis Barragàn, Hans Wegner and Charles and Ray Eames. A vibrantly pink-hued salad, a humble yet elegant fish chowder and a tender chocolate cake— each dish started as a building usually does— as an assemblage of various ingredients and parts that come together as a harmonious unit. Form follows function? Yes indeed. And in this case, food follows along as well.”
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
2 leek, light green and white parts only, chopped (approximately 1½ cups)
1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped
Dash of Old Bay spice
1 bay leaf
2 cups clam juice
1¼ lbs boneless cod or sea bass, cut into 2” pieces
1½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
METHOD
Heat oil and butter in the bottom of a large pot (6-qt) on medium heat. Add the onions and leek; season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the potatoes, clam juice, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, and Old Bay spice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost done, about 10-15 minutes.
Place fish on top of potatoes, along with heavy cream. Cover pot and cook until fish is opaque, approximately 5-8 minutes, making sure liquid is just simmering.
To serve, garnish with parsley and crusty bread.