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4.60 — Votes 10 votes

The Best Seafood Chowder

This is the only seafood chowder recipe you will ever need. It’s easy, dependable, and you can toss in the ingredients you love the most. My recipe has three different kinds of seafood, crispy bacon, plenty of garlic, lemon, and dill. Silky smooth, full of vegetables, seafood that isn’t over cooked, you’re going to love this chowder.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 Servings
Author: Cassy Joy Garcia

Ingredients

  • ½ pound bacon
  • ½ onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ pound scallops
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into rounds
  • teaspoons sea salt divided
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ pound crab meat
  • ½ pound shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Fresh dill for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat a large pot over high heat, and, once hot, add the bacon. Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove and set aside. Chop the bacon once cool.
  • Pat the scallops dry and season them with a ½ of a teaspoon of salt. Add the scallops to the pot side to sear for 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and onion to the pot. Saute the garlic and onion for 3-5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
  • Add the carrots, potatoes, corn, broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper to the pot and stir to combine.
  • Bring the chowder to a simmer and cook it, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
  • Add the bacon, scallops, shrimp, and crab to the pot, and cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Then, stir in the lemon juice.
  • Serve the chowder with a garnish of dill and a lemon wedge, and enjoy!

Notes

Ingredient Modifications and Variations
  • Fresh or frozen seafood - get your hands on whatever sustainably sourced seafood is at the best price. Fresh and frozen will both work!
  • Make it dairy-free - use full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the heavy cream for a delicious dairy-free seafood chowder.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.3g | Protein: 29.2g | Fat: 24.2g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 141.5mg | Sodium: 1876.5mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 6.8g