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!

Best Seafood Chowder Recipe (8)

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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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  • 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? ›

In its very basic format chowder is a soup made with a base of broth and thickened cream. You'll regularly find chowders served alongside crackers or biscuits too.

What is the best thickener for chowder? ›

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.

How to thicken seafood chowder? ›

Flour: Thicken the chowder up with all-purpose flour. Seasonings: Season the fish chowder with Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk makes the chowder even thicker and richer.

Can seafood chowder be made the day before? ›

Can fish chowder be made in advance? Yes! This recipe can be made 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge, then reheated over medium-low heat until warm.

What ingredient does chowder always have? ›

Types. 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 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.

Should chowder be thick or thin? ›

While soups can be thin and light, a chowder is characterized by being rich and thick. Like stew, it contains large chunks of meat or seafood and vegetables, notably potatoes.

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

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

How do you make chowder without curdling? ›

Stabilize with a Starch

Starches like flour or cornstarch help stabilize the milk emulsion. This will prevent it from separating. A common technique is to thicken your sauce or soup with roux before adding the milk. This changes the makeup of the liquid and prevents curdling.

What pairs with seafood chowder? ›

You see, cham chowder is quite rich, and so it has to be balanced with something light. Consider either a Kale salad, Caesar salad, or coleslaw. Shy away from action-packed salads with things like nuts, cheese, avocado and other fatty ingredients since they compete with the heaviness of the clam chowder.

Why did my seafood chowder curdle? ›

One of the biggest troubles with chowders is that if you add dairy, from heavy cream to skim milk, it can “break” after you add it to the pot. Dojny says that curdling can happen more often with low-fat or skim milk because there isn't enough fat in the liquid to bind to the potatoes and/or flour.

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

Half-and-half and butter plus butter

You can also use half-and-half to replace heavy cream without adding butter in certain recipes, such as sauces and soups. To substitute for 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream, mix 7/8 cup (232 grams) of half-and-half with 1/8 cup (29 grams) of melted butter.

Does seafood chowder taste 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 are the three types of chowder? ›

Chowder has evolved constantly over the years, with its roots dating back to the 1700s in the Northeast. Today, the 3 most popular variations are Rhode Island or “clear” chowder, Manhattan or “red” chowder, and New England or “white” chowder.

Is it OK to reheat seafood chowder? ›

Store any Seafood chowder leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot.

What is considered a chowder soup? ›

A chowder is a thick, creamy soup featuring diced or chopped ingredients, left chunky for a hearty final result. Traditional chowder recipes feature seafood ingredients—for instance, clams or fish—while others forgo seafood in favor of vegetables or starches, like corn.

What are the two 2 main classifications of soups? ›

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 2 ingredients are used to thicken the soup? ›

Add flour or cornflour

You can also use flour or cornflour to thicken a soup. Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.

What are the two basic types of soups _______________ and _______________ soups? ›

The two basic categories of soup are clear soups and thick soups, with broths and consommés being clear, and bisques and chowders as examples of thick soups.

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