Take two fine, fresh cod-fish, weighing six pounds each;
clean them well; cut the fish lengthwise from the bone, and cut it into
pieces two inches square. Chop up the bones and heads; put them into a
saucepan; add three quarts of warm water, one red onion sliced, heaping
teaspoonful of salt, a dozen bruised peppercorns, and a few stalks of
celery. Boil until the fish drops from the bones; then strain into
another saucepan.
Cut into small squares one peck of small potatoes and a pound and a half
of salt pork; arrange the fish, pork, and potatoes into mounds; divide
each equally into four parts; add one quarter of the fish to the stock,
next a quarter of the pork, then a quarter of the potato, and three
pilot crackers, broken into quarters, salt, pepper, and a little thyme.
Repeat this process until the remaining three quarters of pork, fish,
and potato, are used; cover all with warm milk; simmer slowly until the
fish is tender, care being taken that the soup does not boil over; now
taste for seasoning, serve as neatly as possible.
The above is the old-fashioned New England fish chowder. Clams may be
used instead of fish.