Description
This hearty Seafood Chowder combines a creamy base with a medley of fresh and cooked seafood for a rich, comforting meal. Featuring smoked bacon, garlic, white wine, and a velvety roux-thickened broth with tender potatoes, carrots, and sweet corn, this chowder is garnished with fresh chives and best enjoyed with crusty or garlic bread perfect for dunking.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood
- 650g (1.3lb) seafood marinara mix or mixed fresh seafood – fish, squid, prawns, cooked mussel meat (separate cooked and raw portions as noted)
Base
- 50g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 100g (4oz) streaky bacon, chopped into 1.5cm (1/2″) squares
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine (optional, can skip)
- 1/3 cup plain/all-purpose flour (sub gluten-free flour if needed)
- 1 litre (4 cups) low sodium chicken stock or homemade fish stock (avoid store-bought fish stock)
- 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 of white pepper (can substitute black pepper)
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 to 4 minutes until edges turn light golden. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Sauté garlic and deglaze: Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for about 10 seconds, careful not to brown it. Add white wine and increase heat to high. Simmer rapidly for 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen browned bacon bits, until most of the wine evaporates.
- Make roux: Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle in the flour and stir continuously for 1 minute to cook the flour and form a roux.
- Add broth: Gradually pour in about 1 cup of stock while stirring to dissolve the roux, forming a thick paste. Then add the remaining stock while stirring well to keep the broth smooth and lump-free. Use a whisk if needed.
- Simmer vegetables and bacon: Increase heat to high and bring the chowder to a boil. Add the carrots, potatoes, and the cooked bacon back to the pot. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until carrots are just tender.
- Cook raw seafood and finish chowder: Stir in the cream, fish sauce, white pepper, corn, and the raw seafood. Simmer gently for about 3 minutes until the fish is just cooked and flakes easily.
- Add cooked seafood and season: Stir in the separated cooked seafood, heat through briefly. Taste the chowder and add salt if needed (often not necessary due to bacon and fish sauce).
- Serve: Ladle the seafood chowder into bowls, sprinkle with chopped chives or parsley, and serve immediately with warm crusty or garlic bread for dipping.
Notes
- When preparing seafood, separate cooked items like mussels and some prawns from raw seafood as they have different cooking times to prevent overcooking.
- Use homemade fish stock if possible for the best flavor; otherwise low sodium chicken stock works well.
- For a gluten-free chowder, substitute the plain flour with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- The white wine step is optional but adds depth of flavor; you can skip it and deglaze with a little stock instead.
- You can substitute milk for heavy cream to make a lighter chowder but it will be less rich and creamy.
- The fish sauce adds umami and saltiness—adjust additional salt accordingly to taste.
