Striped Bass Chowder from 'The Catch'

By
Kate Williams
Kate Itrich-Williams is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kate Williams
Kate Itrich-Williams is a food writer, editor, and recipe developer who wrote the "Cook the Book" column for Serious Eats.
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Updated Mar. 27, 2019
Striped Bass Chowder with Broccoli Rabe Pesto
Gabriela Herman

Ben Sargent got his cooking career started by slinging chowders from a Brooklyn surf shop. So it should come as little surprise that he includes so many recipes for the seafood stew in his new cookbook, The Catch. Most of his chowders are of the thick, rich, and cream-filled New England type—tasty, but not exactly late summer fare. However, there is one chowder in the book made with striped bass and broccoli rabe pesto that serves as a bridge between quick summer meals and heartier cold-weather soups and stews.

Why I picked this recipe: Sargent has eleven chowders in his cookbook, and this one was by far the most creative and unusual.

What worked: Like all the other recipes in the book, this chowder was super easy to make and came together quickly once the pesto was pulsed. The bitterness of the rabe gave the chowder interesting (and welcome) contrast, and kept the soup from becoming muddled.

What didn't: As much as I liked the bitter notes from the pesto, I thought the chowder needed a little more richness to feel balanced. I stirred in a tab of butter, but adding more cream would also do the trick.

Suggested tweaks: If you find broccoli rabe too bitter, you could cut it with regular broccoli, or even make the pesto with all broccoli. You could substitute halibut or sea bass if you can't find striped bass.

Reprinted with permission from The Catch: Sea-to-Table Recipes, Stories & Secrets by Ben Sargent with Peter Kaminsky. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.

Recipe Facts

Active: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

For the Pesto and Florets:

  • 1 1/4 pounds broccoli rabe, lower stems cut off

  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Chowder:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced

  • Pinch cayenne pepper

  • 1 cup canned stewed tomatoes, chopped

  • 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

  • 3 cups Fish Stock or clam juice

  • 1/4 cup light cream

  • 1 pound striped bass fillet, skinned and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

  1. For the Pesto and Florets: In a large pot of boiling water, cook broccoli rabe until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut off all florets and reserve. Chop stems and leaves and transfer to a food processor. Add pine nuts, garlic, capers, and lemon zest and process to coarsely chop. Add cheese and all olive oil and purée. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. For the Chowder: In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add leeks and cook over medium-low heat, stirring a few times, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add cayenne and cook for about 20 seconds. Add tomatoes, potatoes, stock, and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add cream and striped bass and simmer until fish is just cooked, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add reserved broccoli rabe florets.

  3. Ladle chowder into bowls and pass pesto at the table to stir in.

  4. Note: The broccoli rabe pesto and blanched florets can be refrigerated, separately, overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
483 Calories
35g Fat
22g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 483
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35g 45%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 682mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 31mg 156%
Calcium 210mg 16%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 978mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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