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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!
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
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?
Frequently Asked Questions
Chowder is a cream based soup that usually has seafood and vegetables.
They are very similar, but instead of clams, this recipe’s main ingredients are shrimp and white fish.
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
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
Seafood Chowder
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
- 1½ 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.
- When vegetables have softened, add chicken broth, clam juice, potatoes, carrots, black pepper, salt, thyme, bay leaves, and Tabasco sauce.
- 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.
- Season shrimp and cod with Old Bay seasoning.
- Add shrimp and cod to the stock pot and simmer another 7-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily and shrimp turns pink.
- Add half and half. Combine flour and milk until flour is dissolved.
- 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.
- Remove bay leaves and serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.
Notes
- 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.
I made this recipe with my own choice of seafood which included: flounder, shrimp, calamari rings, scallops and mussels! Came out amazing! Very flavorful!
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Absolutely delicious!!!
This is my go to for Seafood Chowder. I usually make it with extra prawns (shrimp) and ALWAYS add skinned salmon (for a really reach chowder). I also add calamari rings (sometimes scallops are not available). I add mussels too. Delicious. It’s always a BIG hit in our family and I’m making it right now for Good Friday lunch. Thanks.
Oh I love your add-in ideas. That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Simply remarkable!! Easy to follow step by step directions. I used the seafood I had which was fresh cod, shrimp, jumbo lump crab meat and quohogs. Can not wait to make it again!! Loved it!!
You did this perfectly! It’s always the best then you just add whatever you have that is fresh. It’s never the same chowder twice but it is ALWAYS delicious! Thanks of the comment!
This is my go to recipe for what I like to call “Sunny Stew”. I use my fresh or frozen Minnesota sunfish to substitute for the cod and shrimp for a delicious treat. I have also used increased vegetable or chicken broth to create a lactose free version for my son-in-law but of course we love it with the half-and-half!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your adjustments– those are great suggestions, especially to make it lactose free!
This is hands down the best chowder I have ever had. Everyone raves about it and asks when I’m going to make it next. I have to make double batches just to have some left over. 🙂
Thanks Ginger! Happy you liked it!
Good recipe until the half & half: 2 quarts? That’s 8 cups! Typing mistake? 8 cups of cream would drown out all other flavors, probably make you sick, and make you pile on the pounds. I find a little but goes a long way.
If you don’t want to use that much you can definitely swap half of it out for chicken broth, you will get a similar flavor but it won’t be as creamy. Hope this helps!
I used crab claw meat and shrimp and I mixed the milk and flour into a paste and added it slowly into the pot. other than that I followed the recipe exactly. It made more than 8 servings though, I’d have to say 14 large servings. That’s fine because it’s delicious. Btw, I’m from Caldwell, Idaho just down the road from the author of this fine recipe. Thanks!
Hello from just down the road! We are practically neighbors! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, I absolutely love this with fresh crab meat. I will definitely have to take a look at the serving amounts to make sure they are correct, thanks for the head’s up!
I really like this recipe, I made with suggested tobasco amount the first time and it was good for me but too much of a kick for anyone who doesn’t like spice, or picky people who don’t like spice to their seafood chowder! So I cut it in half now 🙂
Delicious! My family and I loved this chowder! Everyone had seconds and my husband had thirds. I didn`t use tabasco or leeks, I added one more potato and more seafood. I used bacon fat and butter to sautee the onions and celery, but did not have bacon to put into the chowder. It was amazing.
Thank you!
Thank you, Louanne! I’m so happy you like the recipe!
Boise Idaho is not where my mind wanders when I think about chowder, especially seafood chowder. So, admittedly I was surprised to learn of the origin of the recipe and its creator. That said, absolutely restaurant quality. I am not an expert however, I live near San Francisco, and I have eaten in some of the best places seafood is made from San Francisco, to Boston and the eastern seaboard. I believe this is one of the best seafood chowders I have had the pleasure of enjoying
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
~Cheers!
This comment definitely made me chuckle and also made my day! I am so glad my Idaho seafood chowder did not disappoint 😆 I am totally a chowder snob too! I have had chowder in the Bay Area, Seattle, and Alaska and based my chowder off of the elements I loved from each place, so although I’m from Idaho, my inspiration definitely comes from the coastal Northwest! I am so glad you enjoyed this chowder and grateful for your nice comment!
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!!
Oooh I love those ideas! So glad you liked this recipe!
Great starter at Thanksgiving family loved it
Thanks, glad everyone loved it!
I made it exactly to the recipe using halibut and shrimp it turned incredible. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you
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!
how did you make the old bay? we don’t have any ourselves.
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.
I added some white wine and lemon at the end. Gives it a bit more zip. Excellent recipe!
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.
Great recipe….i used crab , clams and shrimp but no fish. Really tasty. Loved the leeks.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
Nice flavors, but two suggestions: use only one quart of half and half (soupy otherwise) and go easy on the old bay.
Did you really means 2 quarts of half and half?? That means 8 cups!! I used 4 cups
We like our soup very creamy, but you can make it to your taste!
Creamy, hearty, & so much flavor!! If you love seafood, then you will love this chowder!!
This is my go-to chowder recipe. I’ve made it several times and it is always so freaking delicious and rich and hits the spot. Especially on those cold, rainy days. I’m bad at following recipes and almost never have all the exact ingredients on hand, so I appreciate how flexible this recipe is and that it always comes out amazing. We use a mix of white fish, including little reef fish fillets, and bits of shrimp, and often substitute ‘ulu (breadfruit) for potatoes. About to make it again now and, as usual, will be making a huge batch because everyone always goes back for seconds, and sometimes thirds. : )
Sounds soooo good wil l be making this soon thanks for sharing
This recipe is absolutely delicious. Perfect. I will look no further. Well balanced and flavorful.
Thank you.
I made this with rockfish, scallops, and shrimp. It was wonderful. Will definitely make it again.
Just made this. So totally awesome. But I am the only one who will eat it. Can it be frozen?
Yes, you should be able to freeze it!
AMAZING is the only way I can describe this chowder !!!
Made this for mothers day, and im going to make it again tomorrow. I added bacon and corn and it just made it extra delightful! Delicious recipe 😋
Soooooo good!
This looks so delicious! My daughter and I are going to love this! Can’t wait to make it!
The perfect meal for an autumn evening. YUM. So satisfying and filling!
Love all the flavors in this broth with the garlic and the hot sauce! Such a great chowder recipe to try!
Made this recipe today with some soft-she’ll clams my boys and I harvested yesterday and 6 lobsters and halibut. Doubled the recipe and took your advice in sautéing the shrimp and fish prior to adding to the pot. Added cayenne pepper to the fish and shrimp and butter…delicious. I made my own soup stock from clams, lobster shells and legs, and substituted half for the chicken stock (also used vegetable stock instead as we had no chicken stock). Just before adding the milk/flour mixture I put in some biscuits and by the time they were ready, the chowder was ready to serve.
My 15 and 14 year old sons loved the chowder and me? The best I ever had! Thanks for the detailed recipe and improvising suggestions!
*soft-shell
Excellent and Easy!!!
I added more celery, shrimp & scallops and less half-n-half and this recipe is awesome!!! Made it several times already. My friends it is restaurant quality. Thank u to whoever shared this recipe!!!
I made this recipe this weekend! It was absolutely delicious!
I love seafood chowder but you never know what you will get at a restaurant. This is hands down the best I have ever had!
I doubled the seafood (cod and shrimp) and halved the half and half (we like chunky chowder 😉) and my wife , who is the biggest critic of watery chowders, took a second serving of just the broth!!
I made the chowder as per the instructions, with my adjustments and placed in in a crockpot on warm for 2 hours.
You have spoiled me and I will never order a restaurant chowder again. Well done on this recipe!
This is the third time making this and it the best chowder I add a little more shrimp and clams but other than that it’s the recipe you won’t be disappointed
Hi Chris- so glad you liked this recipe! Always a good idea to add more seafood in my opinion 😉 Yum!
Would this recipe work if cut in half? I want to try it, but it would be for just my husband and me. It looks delicious!!
Yes, it would be fine to cut it in half. Enjoy! 🙂
Can I make a larger amount and freeze the remainder?
Chowder typically doesn’t freeze well. This will be best fresh or refrigerated for up to 2-3 days. Hope this helps!
This was so good. I used shrimp, crab, cod and clams. It made so much we invited the neighbors over and we also sent some home with them and still have leftovers for tonight. Everyone loved it. Thanks!!
Oh good! I am so glad you and your neighbors enjoyed this recipe! The combination you did sounds SO good! YUM! Thanks so much for the 5-stars!
I use shrimp and lump crab meat! Awesome soup!
Thank you, so glad you like it!
Oh yum! Great way to use up lump crab meat 😀
Would substituting seafood broth (or stock) instead of chicken broth be okay or would it be too salty? And still ok to add the clam juice? Also, is the clam juice from the can of clams the same as the bottle of clam juice (w/out any clams)?
I haven’t used seafood broth before, so I can’t speak to how it would change the recipe. Clam juice is different than what comes out of the can – it actually contains extract of clams.
Made it for diner toning using frozen sea food mix-shrimp, scallops, clams, calamari, crab, and lobster except our 5 qt dutch oven couldn’t hold it all so we shorted 1 quart of half and half and thickened the mixture with corn starch. Sprinkled crispy bacon pieces on top too. It was delicious, we’ll be looking forward to eating this as a leftovers for the next couple of meals.
Oh yum! That sounds delicious! Love the idea of using a big seafood mix. Thank you for sharing!
It was very liquidity added extra flour i like thick stand your spoon up thick
Yes, definitely, if you like it thicker you can add more flour or some cornstarch!
Does anybody know the calorie count for this dish? Thanks!
Hi
I’m making this chowder for a large group as a first course so I’d like to make it a day ahead. Does it work well made a day before serving?
Thanks
Hi Janet– it tastes best fresh, but you should be able to make it a day ahead and re-heat. Hope this helps!
hi I am currently at my client’s house trying to make this recipe for him, you say three onions I’m sorry potatoes hi I am currently at my clients house trying to make this recipe for him, you say 3 I’m sorry potatoes but not what size or how much. Please reply to my email address as checking this website is very time consuming
Hi Ddra– I am sorry we weren’t able to respond to this in time. Next time you have an urgent question– please e-mail (see “contact”) us as sometimes we are able to respond to e-mails more quickly than comments. We are getting SO many comments right now because of the holidays and we must answer them in the order received. Hope the chowder turned out ok for you!
FEEDS HOW MANY?
This should make about 8-12 servings, depending on if you serve as a main dish or a side dish. Hope this helps!
I am making this tomorrow morning around 10 a.m. PST Friday. Your recipe is very vague regarding potatoes. Red come in multiple sizes. Can’t you just say cups, small medium large potatoes?
. Diced, what size is this?
Finely diced, same thing. Please reply to my email address, it is very difficult and time-consuming to come back to this recipe.
Thank you for your comment, as we get hundreds of comments and e-mails it is extremely difficult to respond to each one in less than 48 hours. We try to answer emails/comments as quickly as possible and answer them in the order that we receive them. For the potatoes, you can dice them any size you would like– we like them to be about 1/2″ dices. It should be about 4-5 cups of diced potatoes. Hope this helps!
Easy recipe to follow and the chowder turned out great!! Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
This chowder was really good! I followed the recipe, except left out the leek. My young kids even liked it! Will definitely make again soon!
In your ingredients list, you mention the quantity “c” . I am not familiar with it. Is it a cup? Thank you.
Yes, c = cup Hope that helps!
I’m from Australia
I’m from Australia can you give me a substitute for old bay seasoning we don’t have it in Australia.Faye
You can use any kind of seafood or all-purpose seasoning salt if you can’t find “Old Bay” brand. Hope this helps!
I am trying this tonight with shrimp and scallops. Also have to make a few changes due to food allergies. Can’t wait to try this!
Hubby is allergic to clams. Is there anything I can substitute for the clam juice?
You can use chicken broth
How many cups or servings does this make? It looks like quite a lot.
It makes about 6-8
Could you use crawfish tails or catfish filets instead of the cod?
Absolutely! You can add whatever seafood that you think would go well!
How much Old Bay do you like to use? Thanks.
Approximately a teaspoon, but usually I just sprinkle it on until it looks like it is well seasoned. Does that make sense?
A nice soup recipe. Thank you.