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Looking for the best seafood chowder recipe? This creamy, hearty chowder is loaded with shrimp, white fish, and tender vegetables. It’s easy to make and perfect for seafood lovers!
What Our Readers Are Saying…
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!! – Art
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. 🙂 – Ginger
I made it exactly to the recipe using halibut and shrimp it turned incredible. I will definitely make it again. Thank you – Brad
A Restaurant Quality Recipe
Get ready for 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.
This recipe shares similarities with our Clam Chowder recipe, but even easier and more versatile. To complete the perfect seafood feast, serve this chowder with homemade buttermilk biscuits, hot and cheesy garlic bread, or easy cornbread.
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
- Seafood: shrimp and a firm white fish (cod, halibut, or haddock are all great options).
- Vegetables: red potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, leeks.
- Seasonings: Old Bay Seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, salt, pepper.
- Liquids: half & half, chicken broth, clam juice, milk.
How to Make Seafood Chowder
- In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, sauté celery, onions, leeks, and garlic in butter over medium heat.
- Add chicken broth, clam juice, potatoes, carrots, all seasonings, and Tabasco sauce.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Potatoes should be almost fork-tender.
- Season shrimp and fish with Old Bay Seasoning.
- Add shrimp and cod to the chowder and simmer until shrimp turns pink and fish flakes easily (about 7-8 minutes).
- Add half and half to the chowder. combine flour and milk in a separate bowl and stir until flour is dissolved.
- Slowly stir the flour/milk mixture into the chowder until it reach your desired thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove bay leaves. Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.
Pro Tips and Variations
- Sauté seafood first: Browning the shrimp and fish in a little butter before adding them to the chowder adds delicious flavor.
- Add-ins: Corn, bacon, or even a sprinkle of cheese can take this chowder to the next level.
- Spice it up: Add a few extra dashes of Tabasco sauce if you like heat.
- Potato tips: Dice potatoes small for even cooking. Yukon gold potatoes can also be used.
- Don’t skip the half & half: It makes the chowder creamy and rich – totally worth it!
Frequently Asked Questions
For this seafood chowder we recommend shrimp and a firm white fish like cod, halibut, or haddock. Salmon can also be used. Scallops, crab and lobster are also great additions!
Yes, frozen shrimp, cod or halibut will work. Thaw and pat dry before coating in seasoning and adding to the chowder.
For a thicker chowder prepare a slurry with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Slowly add to the prepared chowder until it reaches desired consistency.
Yes, you can make it up to a day ahead and keep it in the fridge until ready to reheat. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, and be careful to avoid overcooking the seafood.
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 Seafood Recipes You’ll Love
🥣 Ready to Cozy Up with a Bowl?
If you try this seafood chowder, we’d love to hear what you think! Leave a star rating and comment below and share your favorite seafood add-ins. We’d love to hear from you!
Seafood Chowder – Hearty, Creamy and Easy
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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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Hearty Soup Recipes
Like this seafood chowder? Then you’ll love these other hearty soup and chowder recipes:
Chicken and Rice Soup
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Corn Chowder with Bacon
Ham and Bean Soup
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! 🙂