Grouper Chowder
 
 
Makes about 3 quarts
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 cup sliced yellow onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 4 (15-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 to 3 cups chicken broth, divided
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 2 dashes hot sauce
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2½ to 3 pounds skinless grouper fillets, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 2 cups diced peeled red potatoes
  • 1 (6.5-ounce) can minced clams, undrained
  • ½ pound peeled and deveined small-to-medium fresh shrimp
  • Crusty French bread, to serve
Instructions
  1. In a 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, 2 cups broth, wine, lemon juice, hot sauce, bay leaf, salt, thyme, and pepper, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
  3. Stir in fish, potatoes, and clams; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, uncovered, until shrimp are just pink and potatoes are tender, about 4 minutes. If a thinner consistency is desired, stir in up to remaining 1 cup broth. Serve with bread.
Notes
Kitchen Tip: If you catch your own grouper, or haveaccess to whole fish, the throat from 2 (15- to 20-pound) groupers can be used in place ofthe fillets. Add the whole throats, and simmer until the meat flakes off the bones. Be mindful of the bones when serving. For a spicier stew, add up to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper to tomato mixture in step 2.
Recipe by Southern Cast Iron at https://southerncastiron.com/traveling-skillet-generations-grouper-chowder/