It’s the second installment of that venerable series Cost Per Serving!
You know what they say. You can’t control something without measuring it first. In view of trying to reduce our food costs, I will be comprehensively calculating the cost per serving of various recipes. And not only that, but I will be rating their deliciousness!*
I had an odd craving last week for cod chowder. Maybe it had to do with mentioning Captain Parker’s delicious clam chowder in the inaugural edition of Cost Per Serving, Garden Vegetable Stew. I can’t recall ever making cod chowder, but I’m sure I’ve had it before. It is a very New England-y dish.
Okay, technically I don’t know if that is cod below. It was being sold as “chowder mix” and just as easily could have been haddock. This is another trick that supermarkets play. The less pretty bits get cut off the filet and sold as some sort of inferior product. But you and I know better! You and I know that only suckers buy the expensive, flat smoked salmon! We buy smoked salmon trim for half the price!
Cod chowder ingredients
| Ingredient | Cost | Unit size price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tbsp Butter | $0.13 | Butter box! | ||
| Onion | $0.25 | 5 lb bag for $4 | ||
| 4 mushrooms | $0.86 | 12 oz for $2.59 | ||
| 1 stalk celery | $0.10 | $1.49 package | ||
| 2 cups broth | $0.20 | Cubes | ||
| 2 cups diced potatoes | $0.80 | 5 lb bag for $4 | ||
| 1 cup corn | $0.28 | 2 lb bag for $1.66 | ||
| 1 pound cod | $5.49 | Chowder mix | ||
| Seasonings | $0.10 | Old Bay, salt, pepper | ||
| 1/2 cup clam juice | $0.99 | 8 oz for $1.99 | ||
| 1/4 cup flour | $0.04 | 2 lb bag for $1.19 | ||
| 12 oz evaporated milk | $0.66 | One can for $0.66 | ||
| $10.15 | ||||
| Servings | 5 | |||
| Cost Per Serving | $2.03 |
I reduced the recipe by half, and added a cup of frozen corn, since that’s a very chowder-y ingredient and helps bring the cost down by stretching a fifth serving out of the recipe. But other than that, made no alterations. I have to say, this was a very standard recipe. If you like seafood chowder, this fits the bill. Nothing special, and very little spice (I probably quadrupled the amount of Old Bay seasoning recommended). But I’m a seafood fan, so this hit the spot, and is nice in the winter.
On the down side, it’s not extremely frugal, although compared to other fish recipes probably is rather frugal.
Deliciousness Rating: 7
(Where 1 is gross, 5 is good, and 10 is crunchy cookie butter)
* The stated deliciousness of each recipe is solely the opinion of the author. Cost is objective, but your tastes may vary.