🏨✨ Hauntingly Good Comfort: Hawthorne Hotel, Salem MA
SEAFOOD CHOWDER
INGREDIENTS: ½ cup (1 stick) butter ¼ cup celery, diced ½ cup onion, diced ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups clam broth 2 cups fish stock (or more clam broth) ¼ pound clams, chopped ¼ pound small shrimp or shrimp pieces ¼ pound scallops ¼ pound firm-fleshed fish, such as cod or haddock Salt, black pepper, and thyme (fresh or dried), to taste 1 cup half-and-half 1 cup potatoes, parboiled and diced
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the celery and onion. Cook slowly until the onion is translucent. 2. Add the flour and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Be careful not to brown the flour. 3. Add the clam broth and fish stock and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. 4. Add the clams, shrimp, scallops, fish, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook on medium heat until the mixture comes to a full simmer and the seafood is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. 5. In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half over medium-low heat, then add that and the potatoes to the chowder. Bring the chowder back up to a simmer, then serve with black pepper.
Fun Halloween Fact: Salem’s spooky fame traces back to 1692, when witchcraft hysteria gripped the town. Today, it’s one of the most visited Halloween destinations in the country—drawing nearly a million visitors each fall!
👻 Spooky Serving Idea: Serve your chowder in a black cauldron-style bowl with a sprinkle of thyme “grave dust” on top and a slice of toasted sourdough shaped like a ghost or broom.
