With shrimp, fish, scallops, and clams, this Seafood Chowder Recipe will transport you to the coast from the convenience of your kitchen. It has bacon for smoky flavor, potatoes to make it hearty and satisfying, and a creamy broth that ties everything together.
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A hearty soup for the chilliest days.
Corn crab chowder has been a holiday tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. (My Shrimp Corn Chowder is inspired by that recipe!) So while other people may associate this time of year with cookies and casseroles, chowders like this seafood chowder recipe gives me those cozy holiday vibes.
This isn’t just a soup to carry you through that odd week between Christmas and the New Year, though—it’s a soup that will get you through all those frigid days until spring rolls around.
Seafood chowder will fill you up and warm you up. And this soup doesn’t mess around! It’s made with almost two pounds of seafood, plus potatoes and veggies, so you’re not going to be fishing in the pantry (pun intended) for a snack after dinner.
If seafood is your favorite food, then get ready to meet your new favorite soup!
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Bacon. Bacon is more than just a chowder topping in this recipe. By using the drippings to cook the vegetables, it forms a smoky base of flavor for the entire soup. Delish!
- Vegetables. Classic mirpoix: onion, celery, and carrots.
- Garlic. Another must for soup. I use 4 cloves for plenty of flavor.
- Old Bay Seasoning. This blend of celery salt, spices, and paprika complements just about any seafood—and this seafood chowder.
- Potatoes. You can use any kind you like, but I usually use red potatoes, which hold their shape well.
- Dry White Wine. Like Pinot Grigio. For an alcohol-free version, simply use additional seafood stock.
- Seafood Stock. You can purchase this at the grocery store, or you can make your own by boiling seafood shells. (Whenever I have shells from shrimp, crab, or lobster, I put them in a bag in the freezer until I have enough to boil for seafood stock.)
- Seafood. This seafood chowder recipe is made with raw shrimp, firm white fish (like cod, halibut, or seabass), scallops, and canned clams. As long as you keep the proportions the same, you can use more of one, omit or reduce others, etc.
- Half and Half. This makes the broth creamy without making it overly heavy. If you’d like a richer chowder, swap heavy cream.
- Herbs. Fresh parsley or thyme brighten things up and add some herbaceous flavor.
How to Make Seafood Chowder
Cook the Bacon. Add the bacon to a pot set over medium heat. Cook it until it’s crispy, then transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels.
Cook the Aromatics. Sweat the onions, celery, and carrots in the bacon fat with the salt and pepper. This means cook until they’re softened, not browned. Stir in the garlic and Old Bay and cook until they’re fragrant.
Deglaze the Pan. Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. They’re full of flavor and scraping them up incorporates them into your seafood chowder, which is much better than leaving them stuck to the pot!
Simmer. Once the wine is mostly cooked off, pour in the seafood stock and add the bacon. Bring the liquid to a boil, then add the potatoes. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Add the Seafood. Stir the shrimp, cod, scallops, and clams (with their juices) into the pot. Return the soup to a gentle simmer until the seafood is just cooked through.
Finish. Stir in the half and half, then remove the pot from the heat. Season the seafood chowder to taste, garnish with herbs, and ENJOY!
What to Serve with Seafood Chowder
This seafood chowder recipe is filling enough that you don’t need to serve anything with it, but if you do pair it with something else, you’ll be able to squeeze an extra serving or two out of it. Here are some ideas.
More Recipes for Seafood Lovers
With shrimp, fish, scallops, clams, smoky bacon and potatoes in a creamy broth, this easy seafood chowder recipe is hearty and ultra flavorful!
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- 2 slices bacon diced into ¼-inch pieces (4 ounces)
- ½ medium white onion diced into ¼-inch pieces (¾ cup)
- 2 celery stalks diced into ¼-inch pieces (½ heaping cup)
- 2 carrots diced into ¼-inch pieces (½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay
- 1 pound potatoes any kind, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 6 medium red potatoes)
- ½ cup dry white wine or additional seafood stock
- 4 cups seafood stock
- 8 ounces large raw shrimp peeled and deveined, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 ounces cod halibut, seabass, or other firm white fish, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces large scallops halved (about 8 scallops)
- 1 (6.5-ounce) can whole clams
- 1 cup half and half
- Chopped fresh parsley or thyme for serving
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Place the bacon in a cold large stock pot over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered, about 10 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to avoid burning. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pot.
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Return the pot to medium heat and add the onions, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Old Bay and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
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Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the wine is mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
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Add the seafood stock, return the bacon to the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes. Allow to return to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, and continue simmering uncovered until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.
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Add the shrimp, cod, scallops, and clams and their juices. Return the soup to a bare, gentle simmer for about 2 minutes, until the seafood is just cooked through. Add the half and half and remove the pot from the heat.
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Adjust the seasoning to taste. Top with parsley or thyme to serve.
- TO STORE: Do not freeze seafood chowder! It simply won’t hold up well, both in terms of texture and flavor. You can refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a pan on the stovetop set over medium-low heat.
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 433kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 37gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 140mgPotassium: 1370mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5497IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 226mgIron: 3mg
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