I have tried to incorporate more fish into my weekly menu with mixed responses, as you can imagine. Growing up in the prairies and living near the Rocky Mountains does not easily lend itself to fresh fish consumption! I really enjoy this recipe and most (and sometimes even all!) my family will eat it quite happily. The 6yr old has food defiance issues…we’re working on that. This Fish Chowder recipe is also really easy to adapt to dietary preferences.
The original version you see here is dairy and gluten free. You could also modify it to make it vegetarian or even vegan if you don’t eat any animal products. Although technically we would have to just call it Chowder. 
- 8 cups stock (I prefer to use organic veggie/onion bouillon cubes with water but use what you like/have on hand, chicken stock would probably be just fine)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cups rice uncooked (I use brown jasmine rice which cooks fully in 25 min – or I often use 1 cup rice and I cup rinsed quinoa)
- 4 med potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
- 4-5 frozen fillets of white fish, whole (Break them apart as they cook and soften – I buy the $10 bag of frozen Basa Fillets in the freezer section and use half – very mild flavor and medium texture) * tip* if you keep the fillets frozen until you add them, it won’t smell fishy AT ALL
- 4-6 med carrots, chopped
- 1 398ml can full fat coconut milk (don’t sweat the fat content, just enjoy!)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup butter/coconut oil/grape seed oil (You could also add olive oil after it is finished cooking. You need some oil to bring flavors together. It won’t be as good without it!)
- 1tsp garlic powder
- 1T onion powder
- 1T dried dill
- 1tsp dried basil
- 1T dried parsley
- splash of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper *add more or less of all these herbs and spices to your taste – this is a starting point
*Tips and variations*
- Many types of brown rice need 40 min to cook. Add your brown rice to the stock and boil for 10 min before adding other ingredients.
- Try adding a cup of whatever veggies you (your kids) like…corn, peas, green beans… If you want to add frozen veggies or fresh spinach/kale, add them in the last 10 min or less. In the photo I used kale and spinach but not carrots.
- You can substitute grated potatoes or use mashed potatoes to make a thicker texture.
- Try substituting rice for gluten free noodles, although add them in the last 10 min or they will get mushy. This soup is also excellent the next day and will keep for a few days in the fridge. The rice will thicken up further. This soup freezes well, but the texture of the fish changes slightly. It gets a little bit softer.
- If you want to try a ‘fish-free’ or vegetarian version, omit fish and add a cup or two of cooked/canned lentils. For a vegan version, use olive oil, grape seed or coconut oil to omit all animal products.
This recipe is very adaptable and forgiving. I hope you enjoy it!
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