Description

A rich and comforting Seafood Chowder featuring a mix of fresh and cooked seafood simmered in a creamy broth with vegetables, bacon, and a touch of white wine. Perfectly garnished with chives and served with crusty or garlic bread, this chowder is ideal for a hearty meal full of depth and flavor.

Ingredients

Scale

Seafood and Proteins

650g (1.3lb) seafood marinara mix or mixed fresh seafood (fish, squid, prawns, cooked mussel meat)
100g (4oz) streaky bacon, chopped into 1.5cm / 1/2″ squares

Base and Broth

50g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine (optional)
1/3 cup plain/all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour for gluten-free option)
1 litre (4 cups) low sodium chicken stock/broth or homemade fish stock

Vegetables and Additions

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 7mm / 1/3″ pieces (~1 1/2 cups)
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm / 0.2″ cubes (~2 1/2 cups)
1 cup thickened cream / heavy cream (milk can be substituted for lighter option)
1 cup corn, frozen or canned, drained
2 tsp fish sauce
Pinch white pepper (black pepper as substitute)

Garnish and Serving

3 tbsp chives or parsley, finely chopped
Crusty bread or garlic bread for serving

Instructions

Prepare Seafood: Separate cooked seafood (usually mussels and sometimes prawns/shrimp) from raw seafood. Cut any large fish pieces into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes.
Cook Bacon: In a heavy-based pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes until the edges turn light golden. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
Sauté Garlic and Deglaze: Add the minced garlic to the bacon fat and cook for about 10 seconds without browning. Pour in the white wine and simmer rapidly over high heat for 3 minutes, scraping the pot to loosen any browned bacon bits. Allow the wine to mostly evaporate.
Make Roux: Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute to cook the flour (roux).
Add Stock and Thicken: Gradually pour in about 1 cup of stock, stirring continuously to dissolve the roux into a thick paste. Add the remaining stock and whisk well to ensure there are no lumps.
Simmer Vegetables and Bacon: Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots, potatoes, and reserved cooked bacon. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the carrots are just tender.
Add Raw Seafood and Cream: Stir in the cream, fish sauce, white pepper, corn, and raw seafood. Simmer gently for 3 minutes until the fish is just cooked and flakes easily.
Incorporate Cooked Seafood: Fold in the cooked seafood pieces. Taste the chowder and adjust salt if necessary (usually not required due to bacon and fish sauce).
Serve: Ladle the chowder into bowls, sprinkle with chopped chives or parsley, and serve warm with crusty bread or garlic bread for dipping.

Notes

Note 1: Different seafood mixes may contain varying proportions of cooked and raw seafood; add cooked seafood at the end to prevent overcooking.
Note 2: Homemade fish stock is preferred for better flavor and to avoid the saltiness of store-bought stock.
Note 3: To make the chowder gluten-free, substitute plain flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
For a lighter chowder, substitute heavy cream with milk, though the chowder will be less rich.
Use white pepper instead of black pepper to maintain the chowder’s traditional appearance.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Western/Seafood

Keywords: Seafood chowder, seafood soup, creamy chowder, mixed seafood recipe, easy chowder, winter soup, fish soup