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)

Related Posts:

  • 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. Some cream-style chowders do not use cream, and are instead prepared using milk and a roux to thicken them.

What can I use instead of 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.

How do you thicken seafood chowder? ›

How do you thicken seafood chowder? If you want a thicker base than whipping cream alone offers, add a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour or cornstarch when you add the seafood to the pot.

What ingredient does chowder always have? ›

Customarily, chowder included onion, potatoes, and cream. Nowadays, not all chowders adhere to these guidelines. New England Clam Chowder is sometimes made with milk, whereas Manhattan Clam Chowder doesn't have any milk or cream but has a tomato base instead.

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.

What is the most famous chowder? ›

New England clam chowder is perhaps the most popular and well-known iteration of the dish.

What is usually a main thickening agent of chowder? ›

A roux is the most common thickener for sauces and soups and comes in three colors and strengths: white, blond, and brown.

What is the most popular chowder? ›

New England Clam Chowder is the most famous and most popular clam chowder. It's been around for centuries, so it's possible its longevity has contributed to its popularity. It's also thick and velvety, making it a comforting palate-pleaser, particularly on cold days.

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.

How do you reduce the fishy taste in chowder? ›

This can be done by cooking the fish in foil or by adding other ingredients to the recipe that will help to mask the strong fishy taste of the fish. 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.

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.

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 defines a chowder? ›

: a soup or stew of seafood (such as clams or fish) usually made with milk or tomatoes, salt pork, onions, and other vegetables (such as potatoes)

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.

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