Description
This Seafood Chowder recipe combines a medley of fresh seafood with tender potatoes, sweet corn, and a creamy broth enriched by bacon and subtle hints of white wine. Perfectly comforting and rich, this chowder is ideal for a hearty meal paired with crusty or garlic bread for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood
- 650g / 1.3lb seafood marinara mix or mixed fresh seafood – fish, squid, prawns, cooked mussel meat
Base and Flavoring
- 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)
- 1/3 cup plain/all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
Liquids and Vegetables
- 1 litre (4 cups) low sodium chicken stock or homemade 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 a lighter option)
- 1 cup corn, frozen or canned, drained
Seasoning and Garnish
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- Pinch white pepper (black pepper can be used instead)
- 3 tbsp chives or parsley, finely chopped for garnish
- Crusty bread or garlic bread, for serving
Instructions
- Separate Seafood: Separate the cooked seafood (usually mussels and sometimes prawns/shrimp) from the raw seafood as they will be added at different stages. Cut any large pieces of fish into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes.
- Cook Bacon: In a heavy-based pot, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the chopped streaky bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until edges turn light golden. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the butter and rendered fat in the pot.
- Sauté Garlic and Deglaze: Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook briefly for about 10 seconds, taking care not to brown it. Pour in the white wine and simmer rapidly on high heat for 3 minutes, scraping the base of the pot to loosen golden bacon bits. Allow the wine to mostly evaporate.
- Make Roux: Reduce heat to medium and stir in the flour. Cook and mix continuously for 1 minute to form a roux.
- Add Stock: Gradually pour in about 1 cup of the chicken or fish stock while stirring to dissolve the roux into a thick paste. Then add the remaining stock slowly, stirring well to avoid lumps; use a whisk if necessary.
- Simmer Vegetables and Bacon: Raise heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chopped carrots, potatoes, and cooked bacon. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the carrots are nearly tender.
- Cook Raw Seafood: Stir in the cream, fish sauce, white pepper, corn, and raw seafood. Simmer gently for 3 minutes or until the seafood is just cooked through and fish flakes easily.
- Add Cooked Seafood: Gently fold in the cooked seafood, mixing to combine well. Taste the chowder and adjust salt if needed, though often none is necessary.
- Serve: Ladle the chowder into bowls, sprinkle with freshly chopped chives or parsley, and serve immediately with warm crusty or garlic bread for dunking.
Notes
- Use gluten-free flour in place of plain flour for a gluten-free version.
- Homemade fish stock is preferred over store-bought to avoid unnecessary additives and improve flavor.
- To lighten the chowder, substitute heavy cream with milk, but the texture and richness will be less.
- If white wine is not available or preferred, it can be omitted without a significant loss of flavor.
- Adjust fish sauce and salt carefully as fish sauce adds saltiness.
