Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (2024)

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe is made with shrimp, clams, and crab meat; a delicious, creamy “chowdah” bursting with flavor!

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (1)

We are so in love with clam chowder, especially this time of year. Today’s recipe, Best Seafood Chowder Recipe, you’re going to want to add to your holiday menu! And friends, have you bought my new cookbook? Buy Big Boards for Families today! It’s “editor’s pick” on Amazon this month!

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Best Seafood Chowder Recipe

Perfect for any soup night, this recipe is particularly “special” on the weekend. Like a Friday night … :) It’s a soulful meal, and everyone just seems to love a good bowl of “chowdah.”

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (2)

Made with your favorite seafood, we added bay shrimp, crab meat and clams!

It’s creamy, and delicious served with a hot crunchy bread.

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (3)

Friends, I love my home in the fall months. It’s crispy cold in the mornings, and warm and breezy in the afternoon. It reminds me of how much I love soup this time of year.

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (4)

I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin, and crisp sunburnt leaves.

– Ann Drake

Ingredients for Best Seafood Chowder

  • Bacon
  • Butter
  • Celery + leeks + onion + garlic
  • Potatoes
  • Broth
  • Clam juice + clams
  • Salt + pepper + dried thyme
  • Flour
  • Half-and-half
  • Salad shrimp (bay shrimp)
  • Crabmeat
  • Bay leaf
  • Old Bay seasoning
  • Chopped fresh chives or green onions, for garnish

TIP FOR BREAD: I love to keep my favorite bread in the freezer. When company comes, or I need a loaf for last-minute, I put a loaf in the microwave to defrost for a couple of minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees: Bake thawed bread for 10 minutes. If the bread is still frozen, bake for about 15-20 minutes.

This is how you get hot, crunchy bread!

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OurBest Clam Chowder video has over 22 million views on Facebook! That’s right, it’s that good, and gets a lot of controversy with the bacon. HA. [PS. Do you follow me on Facebook?]

Do you love bacon in clam chowder? We do! So we have added it to this Best Seafood Chowder Recipe, too.

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A few chowder tips:

  • Always add the clam juice.
  • Optional to add bacon, but it’s SO good. It’s great for garnish!
  • Add chicken bouillon powder for more taste, if you want.
  • You can add fewer potatoes, and cut them really small.
  • Leeks are optional, but they make the soup SO good.

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How to make seafood chowder

  1. Cook the bacon (drain fat, but keep some in the pot). Add butter to the drippings; saute celery, leek, and onion until tender. Add garlic.
  2. Stir in the potatoes, broth, clam juice, salt, pepper and thyme.
  3. Combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into the soup. Cook until thickened.
  4. Stir in (drained) clams, shrimp, crabmeat, and remaining half-and-half. Add in 4 strips of crumbled bacon, and season to taste with Old Bay seasoning.
  5. Crumble the reserved 2 strips of bacon. Garnish chowder with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives.
  6. Serve with HOT crunchy bread!

Share soup with friends

We live in unusual times, but we can still gather in small groups.

I say, take simple pleasures this fall, like hosting a small meal. Cook, serve the food (you can always make my Clam Chowder Dinner Board), and listen and learn. We’ve enjoyed being with friends, family, and new neighbors this year. Even with many restrictions, being together and sharing meals has been a gift.

We anticipate tomorrow, with joy in our hearts, while living deeply in the present.

Being present with good food and good conversation!

Ps. Also try this Salmon Chowder!

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Best Seafood Chowder Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Yield: 8

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Ingredients

  • 8-10 bacon strips, divided
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 leek, finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3-4 small potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold, peeled and cubed
  • 2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
  • 2 8 ounce bottles clam juice
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups half-and-half, divided
  • 3 6 ½ oz cans whole clams, chopped into chunky pieces, drained
  • 6 oz salad shrimp, bay shrimp
  • 6 oz crabmeat, shredded
  • Bay leaf
  • 1-2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
  • Chopped fresh chives or green onions, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Add butter to the drippings (you can spoon out some of the drippings if you don’t want to use that much); saute celery, leek, and onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, broth, clam juice, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

  • In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

  • Stir in (drained) clams, shrimp, crabmeat, and remaining 3 cups of half-and-half; heat through (do not boil); turn down to low heat; add the bay leaf. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes on low heat. Add in 4 strips of crumbled bacon, and season to taste with Old Bay seasoning.

  • Crumble the reserved 2 strips of bacon. Garnish chowder with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives.

Cuisine: American

Course: Soup

Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer

Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (9)

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  • Best Clam Chowder Recipe (VIDEO)
  • Manhattan Style Clam Chowder
  • Epic Clam Chowder Dinner Board
  • Mixed Seafood Stew
Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What two ingredients must be present for the soup to be called a chowder? ›

Chowder is a soup with cream or milk mixed with ingredients such as potatoes, sweet corn, smoked haddock, clams and prawns, etc.

What makes chowder taste like chowder? ›

What Is Clam Chowder Supposed to Taste Like? New England clam chowder is a mix of creamy soup and briny, salty, chewy clams. This is complemented with soft onions, celery, and cubed potatoes. Seasonings like pepper enhance the soup, preventing it from being bland.

What is the best thickener for chowder? ›

Thickening chowder without flour is easier than you may think! Use cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch. Any will work!

How do I thicken my seafood chowder? ›

For the creamiest chowder, you'll want to use heavy cream. If you don't have or don't want to use heavy cream, you could use a light cream, but you'll want to mix in about 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with the lighter cream before adding to the soup, to help thicken the soup.

What ingredient does chowder always have? ›

Customarily, chowder included onion, potatoes, and cream.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

How do you fix bland seafood chowder? ›

I add a sweet element like fresh corn, roasted red pepper, or cooked sweet potatoes. I believe 1⁄4 cup of heavy cream is way, way better than an entire cup of milk. The cream goes in at the tail end of the cooking process, just enough so I know it's there. I like chopped chives on top for a fresh touch.

Can you use milk instead of heavy cream in chowder? ›

You really only have three choices when it comes to dairy for your chowder. You can use whole milk (homo milk), you can use heavy cream, or you can use a combination of the two.

How do you reduce the fishy taste in chowder? ›

Also, you can marinate the fish in a mixture of lemon juice, vinegar, and water for 30 minutes. This will help to neutralize the fishy taste. Cooking the fish using a cooking method that will not allow the fishy flavor to become pronounced, such as grilling, baking, or steaming can help as well.

When to add heavy cream to chowder? ›

Lower the heat, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes, until broth has thickened slightly and the potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf from pot. Using an immersion mixer (or blender), blend soup to a fine consistency. Stir in the clams and heavy whipping cream.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in seafood chowder? ›

Evaporated milk works well as a substitute for heavy cream in sauces or soups calling for whole milk. In the making of evaporated milk, regular cow's milk is pressure-cooked until it sheds about half of its water content, making it thicker in consistency. For a healthy substitute, try evaporated skim milk.

What is the secret ingredient to thicken soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

What goes with seafood chowder? ›

What To Eat With Clam Chowder
  • Bread. We start off with our most simple and obvious food to pair with clam chowder – bread! ...
  • Oyster Crackers. Apart from the dinner rolls, you can consider some savory and crisp oyster crackers. ...
  • Salad. ...
  • Roasted Vegetables. ...
  • Corn On Cob. ...
  • French Fries. ...
  • Bacon. ...
  • Cornmeal Pancakes.
Sep 13, 2023

Is it better to thicken chowder with flour or cornstarch? ›

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

Is seafood chowder better the next day? ›

Rich Seafood Chowder

This creamy, delectable soup is even better the next day. It also works well with scallops or a flaky whitefish....

What makes a soup a chowder? ›

The difference between chowder, soup, and stew is that chowder is a soup made with broth that is thickened with flour and cream, with seafood and/or vegetables mixed in. Soup is made with water or broth and can host a variety of ingredients like pasta, vegetables, fruits, grains, meats or seafood.

What 2 ingredients are used to thicken the soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

What are the 2 basic categories of soup? ›

Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid (broth) than stews. In traditional French cuisine, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups.

What are the two types of chowder? ›

New England clam chowder is thick, creamy, and milky-white. Manhattan clam chowder is tomatoey, brothy, and clear. Both types share a clean, briny, and slightly-sweet flavor thanks to the clams—but that's about it.

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