Fish Chowder

Recipe No. 546 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Pork, salt, diced — 1½ pounds (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Onions, sliced — 2 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Potatoes, sliced — 6½ pounds (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Water, boiling — 1¾ gallons (7 No. 56 dippers)
• Haddock, cleaned, boned* — 15 pounds
• Salt — 4 ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Milk, evaporated — 19 — 14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — ¾ gallon (3 No. 56 dippers)

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

1. Fry salt pork until crisp; remove from fat and drain.
2. Fry onions slowly in pork fat until light brown. Add potatoes and water.
3. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
4. Add fish and continue simmering until fish can be easily separated into large pieces with a fork.
5. Add milk, water, salt and pepper to fish; mix well.
6. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Pork, salt, diced — 2 oz Onions, sliced — 2½ oz Potatoes, sliced — 8⅓ oz Water, boiling — 2¼ cups Haddock, cleaned, boned — 1 lb 3¼ oz Salt — about 2 tsp Pepper — to taste Milk, evaporated — 1½ can(s) (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 15⅓ tbsp

Any similar fish may be used.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 546, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.