Seafood Chowder

4.96 from 68 votes
83 Comments

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Looking for the best seafood chowder recipe? This creamy, hearty chowder is loaded with shrimp, white fish, and tender vegetables. Perfect for seafood lovers!

Spoon resting with a piece of shrimp in a bowl of Seafood Chowder. Biscuits on the side.

A Rich and Creamy Chowder Packed with Flavor

This is the best seafood chowder recipe! It is my absolute favorite. It’s even better than the seafood chowders I’ve had at fancy seaside restaurants. The broth is seasoned with garlic, onions, hot sauce, thyme, and more flavorful ingredients. You can add tender red potatoes, cod, crab meat, lobster, scallops, or any seafood you like.

Our creamy seafood chowder recipe is packed with protein, calcium, and essential nutrients, making it a well-rounded meal for seafood lovers. It shares similarities with our Clam Chowder recipe, but this one is even easier to make and offers more versatility. To complete the perfect seafood feast, serve this chowder with biscuits, hot and cheesy garlic bread, or easy cornbread.

Ingredients in Seafood Chowder

  • Butter
  • Celery 
  • Onions
  • Leeks
  • Minced garlic
  • Chicken broth
  • Clam juice
  • Red potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Salt and pepper
  • Thyme
  • Bay leaves
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Old Bay seasoning
  • Shrimp
  • Cod, halibut, or haddock
  • Half & half
  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk
Ingredients to make Seafood Chowder including half and half, broth, clam juice, shrimp, cod, tabasco, old bay, onion, scallions, celery, carrots, red potatoes, flour, milk, spices, bay leaves, garlic and butter.


What Kind of Fish is Best for Chowder?

  • I love a firm, white cod for this seafood chowder, but you can use chunks of halibut or haddock too. Any kind of good, white fish will work. But if you’re unsure of what to use, you can ask for suggestions at your local meat counter.
  • Shellfish is also so delicious in this scrumptious soup. Look for shrimp that is raw but peeled and de-veined. Again, you can find it at the meat counter, or you can find bags of frozen shrimp in the grocery store.
  • This recipe is technically considered a fish chowder but you can add crab meat, too. That would be delicious!

Suggestions for the Best Seafood Chowder

  • Sometimes I sauté the fish and shrimp in some butter to get a little crust around each piece, and then add it to the soup. This adds another step, but the buttery crust is so delicious!
  • You can add other favorite chowder ingredients like corn and bacon to this recipe as well.
  • I add extra Tabasco sauce when I’m making this chowder just for me and my husband because we like the extra heat. But you can vary the hot sauce as you need to for your family.
  • Dice red potatoes into bite-sized pieces for even cooking. Also, try Yukon golds or any other waxy potato that will hold its shape during cooking.
  • I’m all about watching calories, but please do not leave out the half and half in this recipe! You’ll need it to make this chowder extra creamy and rich. Moderation in all things, right?
Two bowls of Seafood Chowder with wooden spoons resting in the bowls. Cheddar biscuits on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chowder?

Chowder is a cream based soup that usually has seafood and vegetables.

What is the difference between Clam Chowder and Seafood Chowder?

They are very similar, but instead of clams, this recipe’s main ingredients are shrimp and white fish.

What are the different types of Chowder?

There are many types of chowder, but these are the most common:
New England Clam Chowder
Bermuda fish chowder
Clam chowder
Corn chowder
Fish chowder
Smoked salmon chowder
Southern Illinois chowder
Seafood chowder
Spiced haddock chowder
Potato Chowder
Bacon Chowder

How do I store leftover seafood chowder?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Seafood chowder can also be frozen. Store it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw frozen soup in the fridge prior to reheating on the stove-top.

READ NEXT: Easy Crockpot Soup Recipes: Cozy Meals for Cold Days

More Hearty Soup Recipes

Like this seafood chowder? Then you’ll love these other hearty soup and chowder recipes:
Chicken and Rice Soup
Pasta e Fagioli
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Clam Chowder
Corn Chowder with Bacon
Ham and Bean Soup

How to Make Seafood Chowder

Large bowl of Seafood Chowder with a spoon. Garnished with green onions.

Seafood Chowder

4.96 from 68 votes
This Seafood Chowder is full of savory flavor. Seasoned fish, tender potatoes, and a creamy broth make this the best seafood chowder ever!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Seafood
Servings 8

Video

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup celery finely diced
  • 1 cup onions finely diced
  • 1 cup leeks finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • ¾ cup clam juice
  • 4 red potatoes diced (Yukon potatoes work great too)
  • 1 cup carrots finely diced
  • ¾ tablespoon ground black pepper
  • tablespoons Kosher salt
  • ¾ tablespoon thyme
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
  • Old Bay seasoning to taste
  • 1 pound shrimp uncooked, peeled, de-veined
  • 2 pounds cod or halibut or haddock, cut into 1/2-inch cubed
  • 2 quarts half & half
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven or stock pot, melt butter and add celery, onions, leeks and garlic over medium heat.
    Pot with sautéed celery and onions for Seafood Chowder. Wooden spoon on the side.
  • When vegetables have softened, add chicken broth, clam juice, potatoes, carrots, black pepper, salt, thyme, bay leaves, and Tabasco sauce.
    Pot with ingredients to make Seafood Chowder.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat to simmer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are almost fork-tender.
    Pot with base with cooked vegetables for Seafood Chowder.
  • Season shrimp and cod with Old Bay seasoning.
    Bowl of raw shrimp and cod seasoned with Old Bay for Seafood Chowder.
  • Add shrimp and cod to the stock pot and simmer another 7-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily and shrimp turns pink.
    Cooked seafood in pot with vegetables and broth for Seafood Chowder.
  • Add half and half. Combine flour and milk until flour is dissolved.
    Mixing bowl with flour and milk next to a whisk for Seafood Chowder.
  • Slowly stir into the chowder until you reach your desired thickness (you may not need all of it). Stir until thickened and season with salt and pepper to taste.
    Pot of Seafood Chowder
  • Remove bay leaves and serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.
    Laddle holding a large scoop of Seafood Chowder.

Notes

Recipe Tips:
  • Don’t like the veggies or fish in this recipe? Swap them out for your favorites!
  • To prep ahead, wash and cut vegetables, cut and prepare fish, and remove shells and tails from shrimp.
  • To store, keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 726kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 46gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 298mgSodium: 2246mgPotassium: 1753mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6796IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 465mgIron: 4mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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4.96 from 68 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Amazing!! Once my veggies were soft I added the flour and cooked for a few minutes then deglazed with sherry. And found I only needed 1 quart of half & half. 10/10!! Oh ya and corn is a must for me!!

  2. 5 stars
    I made it exactly to the recipe using halibut and shrimp it turned incredible. I will definitely make it again.
    Thank you

  3. 5 stars
    IMADE IT. fI used whole milk and added a bit of h eavy cream. added one can of corn and had to make my own old bay seasoning. turned out great!

  4. 5 stars
    This was the best recipe for chowder. I added clams and fresh corn. Soooo delicious unfortunately I made to much so I hope it freezes well.

  5. 5 stars
    This recipe is great. We were laughing at the serving size though. We did one cup per serving and have 16 cups. Even checked to make sure we hadn’t doubled it. We figured this recipe is for Swedish or Sumo wrestlers!, 😂. Delicious. Froze some. Will make it again.

    1. 5 stars
      I followed this recipe exactly as started, except I used corn starch to thicken my broth, and I substituted the fish for a seafood mix with mussels, crabs, shrimp and clams. It came out so flavorful and it is definitely my FAVORITE seafood chowder recipe!

  6. 5 stars
    I haven’t made this yet but I will be. As usual this recipe is spot on. Thank you for another fabulous recipe. Seafood chowder is our favorite.

  7. 5 stars
    Made this. Best seafood chowder we’ve ever tasted…ever. Clam juice and leeks now added to my staple grocery list.
    Left out bay leaves. Cut shrimp amount in half then substituted with scallops. Only used half amount half and half. Otherwise, exactly followed recipe.
    Makes too much for two people. Froze leftovers. Thawed and reheated, the batch tasted just as good as original servings.
    Super fantastic seafood chowder. Thank you so much. Great special occasion recipe to cook ahead and freeze.

  8. 5 stars
    First time I’ve left a review for a recipe, but this one deserves it. This chowder is so delicious! I have made it three weeks in a row now. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and it was amazing. The next two times I used tilapia instead of cod. I also browned up a strip of bacon and cooked the veggies in the pan after. At the end I added half a bag of frozen corn in with the fish. Very yummy!

  9. 4 stars
    Made it and it was excellent. I did though have to just add cream as we do not have the product called half and half in Australia.
    I used cornflour to thicken it to be almost a broth in consistency instead of normal plain flour.

  10. 4 stars
    Nice flavors, but two suggestions: use only one quart of half and half (soupy otherwise) and go easy on the old bay.

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