Seafood Chowder

4.96 from 66 votes
79 Comments

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This thick and hearty Seafood Chowder is full of savory flavor! Seasoned fish, tender potatoes, and a creamy broth make this the best seafood chowder ever!

Spoon resting with a piece of shrimp in a bowl of Seafood Chowder. Biscuits on the side.
Featured with this Recipe
  1. Ingredients in Seafood Chowder
  2. What Kind of Fish is Best for Chowder?
  3. Suggestions for the Best Seafood Chowder
  4. Frequently Asked Questions
  5. More Hearty Soup Recipes
  6. How to Make Seafood Chowder
  7. Seafood Chowder Recipe


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. However, 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 gorgeous 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, 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 a 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 heating 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:

How to Make Seafood Chowder

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

Seafood Chowder

4.96 from 66 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

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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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!!

    1. 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!

  2. 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)?

    1. 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.

  3. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Yes, definitely, if you like it thicker you can add more flour or some cornstarch!

  4. 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

    1. Hi Janet– it tastes best fresh, but you should be able to make it a day ahead and re-heat. Hope this helps!

  5. 5 stars
    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

    1. 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!

        1. This should make about 8-12 servings, depending on if you serve as a main dish or a side dish. Hope this helps!

  6. 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.

    1. 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!

  7. 5 stars
    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!

  8. In your ingredients list, you mention the quantity “c” . I am not familiar with it. Is it a cup? Thank you.

    1. I’m from Australia can you give me a substitute for old bay seasoning we don’t have it in Australia.Faye

      1. You can use any kind of seafood or all-purpose seasoning salt if you can’t find “Old Bay” brand. Hope this helps!

  9. 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!

    1. Approximately a teaspoon, but usually I just sprinkle it on until it looks like it is well seasoned. Does that make sense?