Best Seafood Chowder Recipe is made with shrimp, clams, and crab meat; a delicious, creamy “chowdah” bursting with flavor!
We are so in love with clam chowder, especially this time of year. Today’s recipe, Best Seafood Chowder Recipe, you’re going to want to add to your holiday menu! And friends, have you bought my new cookbook? Buy Big Boards for Families today! It’s “editor’s pick” on Amazon this month!
Table of Contents
Best Seafood Chowder Recipe
Perfect for any soup night, this recipe is particularly “special” on the weekend. Like a Friday night … :) It’s a soulful meal, and everyone just seems to love a good bowl of “chowdah.”
Made with your favorite seafood, we added bay shrimp, crab meat and clams!
It’s creamy, and delicious served with a hot crunchy bread.
Friends, I love my home in the fall months. It’s crispy cold in the mornings, and warm and breezy in the afternoon. It reminds me of how much I love soup this time of year.
I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin, and crisp sunburnt leaves.
– Ann Drake
Ingredients for Best Seafood Chowder
- Bacon
- Butter
- Celery + leeks + onion + garlic
- Potatoes
- Broth
- Clam juice + clams
- Salt + pepper + dried thyme
- Flour
- Half-and-half
- Salad shrimp (bay shrimp)
- Crabmeat
- Bay leaf
- Old Bay seasoning
- Chopped fresh chives or green onions, for garnish
TIP FOR BREAD: I love to keep my favorite bread in the freezer. When company comes, or I need a loaf for last-minute, I put a loaf in the microwave to defrost for a couple of minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees: Bake thawed bread for 10 minutes. If the bread is still frozen, bake for about 15-20 minutes.
This is how you get hot, crunchy bread!
OurBest Clam Chowder video has over 22 million views on Facebook! That’s right, it’s that good, and gets a lot of controversy with the bacon. HA. [PS. Do you follow me on Facebook?]
Do you love bacon in clam chowder? We do! So we have added it to this Best Seafood Chowder Recipe, too.
A few chowder tips:
- Always add the clam juice.
- Optional to add bacon, but it’s SO good. It’s great for garnish!
- Add chicken bouillon powder for more taste, if you want.
- You can add fewer potatoes, and cut them really small.
- Leeks are optional, but they make the soup SO good.
How to make seafood chowder
- Cook the bacon (drain fat, but keep some in the pot). Add butter to the drippings; saute celery, leek, and onion until tender. Add garlic.
- Stir in the potatoes, broth, clam juice, salt, pepper and thyme.
- Combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into the soup. Cook until thickened.
- Stir in (drained) clams, shrimp, crabmeat, and remaining half-and-half. Add in 4 strips of crumbled bacon, and season to taste with Old Bay seasoning.
- Crumble the reserved 2 strips of bacon. Garnish chowder with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives.
- Serve with HOT crunchy bread!
Share soup with friends
We live in unusual times, but we can still gather in small groups.
I say, take simple pleasures this fall, like hosting a small meal. Cook, serve the food (you can always make my Clam Chowder Dinner Board), and listen and learn. We’ve enjoyed being with friends, family, and new neighbors this year. Even with many restrictions, being together and sharing meals has been a gift.
We anticipate tomorrow, with joy in our hearts, while living deeply in the present.
Being present with good food and good conversation!
Ps. Also try this Salmon Chowder!
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Get the Recipe:Best Seafood Chowder Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Yield: 8
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Ingredients
- 8-10 bacon strips, divided
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3-4 small potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
- 2 8 ounce bottles clam juice
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups half-and-half, divided
- 3 6 ½ oz cans whole clams, chopped into chunky pieces, drained
- 6 oz salad shrimp, bay shrimp
- 6 oz crabmeat, shredded
- Bay leaf
- 1-2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- Chopped fresh chives or green onions, for garnish
Instructions
In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Add butter to the drippings (you can spoon out some of the drippings if you don’t want to use that much); saute celery, leek, and onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, broth, clam juice, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
Stir in (drained) clams, shrimp, crabmeat, and remaining 3 cups of half-and-half; heat through (do not boil); turn down to low heat; add the bay leaf. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes on low heat. Add in 4 strips of crumbled bacon, and season to taste with Old Bay seasoning.
Crumble the reserved 2 strips of bacon. Garnish chowder with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives.
Cuisine: American
Course: Soup
Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!
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