recipe
March 31, 2024
I am obsessed with chowders lately. I recently made this seafood chowder for my mother-in-law and it was absolutely delicious. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
What is Chowder?
It’s a rich and creamy soup that usually features cream, potatoes and seafood. This seafood chowder features clam juice, chunks of cod, a variety of potatoes, and some vegetables and seasonings.
Seafood Chowder Ingredients
- Clam Juice: I chose to use clam juice instead of broth for this soup, and it lends a delicious briny, salty, seafood-y flavor.
- Fish: Any mild fish will do, but I used cod. You want to be sure and add it toward the end of the cook time so it doesn’t overcook.
- Bacon: You’ll chop it up and cook it first, then remove it from the pan and add it later on. Then you cook the vegetables in some of the bacon grease. Hansen Hack! If you don’t have a can or a container to pour off excess bacon fat, create a little bowl with aluminum foil and pour it in there. Once it cools you can wrap it up and toss it in the trash.
- Vegetables & Herbs: Onion, celery are the base of any good soup. Thyme and dried bay leaves add depth of flavor.
- Seasoning: Old Bay. What’s seafood without it?!
- Serve with: Your favorite garnishes! I served with oyster crackers, Tabasco, lemons, and parsley.
Check out the video to see me make this recipe and subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss a video!
If you love this seafood chowder recipe, check out my coconut curry soup with salmon next!
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 Tbsp of minced garlic
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups clam juice
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
- 2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 20-24 oz fresh cod cut into 1-inch chunks
- Juice of half a lemon
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving 1-2 Tbsp of bacon fat behind.
- Add the butter to the bacon fat in the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic. Cook, covered, for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
- Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes to cook off the flour taste.
- Add the clam juice, making sure to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add diced potatoes, thyme, Old Bay Seasoning, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the cream, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Return the pot to a simmer and add the chunks of cod. Simmer for about 7 minutes until the cod is cooked through. Stir in the lemon juice and bacon.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.