Fish Chowder (2024)

This hearty fish chowder recipe will make you feel like you’re in New England.

Fish Chowder Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this restaurant-worthy fish chowder recipe:

  • Butter: This fish chowder recipe starts with two tablespoons of butter.
  • Vegetables: You’ll need an onion, mushrooms, celery, and potatoes.
  • Stock: Use store-bought chicken stock or make your own at home.
  • Fish: We love cod for this recipe, but you can use any whitefish you like.
  • Clam juice: Clam juice takes the seafood flavor up a notch.
  • Flour: Thicken the chowder up with all-purpose flour.
  • Seasonings: Season the fish chowder with Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper.
  • Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk makes the chowder even thicker and richer.
  • Bacon: Top each bowl of fish chowder with crumbled bacon.

Cook’s Note

Use your favorite seafood seasoning. I use Chef Paul Prudhomme's brand.

How to Make Fish Chowder

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make homemade fish chowder:

  1. Sauté the onions, mushrooms, and celery in butter.
  2. Add stock and potatoes, simmer for 10 minutes, then add the fish.
  3. Mix the clam juice and flour in a small bowl, then stir into soup and simmer for 1 minute.
  4. Season the chowder, then remove it from heat and stir in evaporated milk.
  5. Ladle the chowder into soup bowls and top each serving with bacon.

What to Serve With Fish Chowder

Pair this fish chowder with oyster crackers and a crusty homemade French bread for a comforting meal. A nice side salad will also work well.

How to Store Fish Chowder

Store the fish chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat thoroughly, stirring often, on the stove.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“I always use cod when I make this,” according to one Allrecipes community member. “My favorite chowder recipe. It will never be bland if you use enough Old Bay!”

“The seasonings were just right,” says Deb Mato. “Love this recipe!”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Fish Chowder (2024)

FAQs

What is fish chowder made of? ›

At its base are just fish, potatoes, and onions. But this fish chowder is made extra delicious with a few secrets: The addition of choice herbs and spices (bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg, and chives) Using onion-infused scalded milk (way easier to make than it sounds, I promise)

How do you use chowder in a sentence? ›

I was about to play touch football with John-John and I could almost smell the chowder. "It's your kind of clam chowder, too," said Mrs. Hills, shaking her head. I'll bring you over a bowl of hot chowder to-night, and if there's anything else you want, you just let me know.

What does the word "chowder" mean? ›

chowder. noun. chow·​der. ˈchau̇d-ər. : a soup or stew made of seafood with potatoes and onions and milk or tomatoes.

How do you thicken fish chowder with cornstarch? ›

Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon. slurry to 4 cups of soup.

What's the difference between fish soup and fish chowder? ›

Now, a soup is usually made with stock or broth and can have vegetables, meat or fish as ingredients and is generally not very thick. A chowder may have the same ingredients, but is more chunky, creamy and thick, much like a stew.

What two ingredients must be present for the soup to be called a chowder? ›

Chowder is a soup with cream or milk mixed with ingredients such as potatoes, sweet corn, smoked haddock, clams and prawns, etc. Some cream-style chowders do not use cream, and are instead prepared using milk and a roux to thicken them.

Why is chowder called chowder? ›

The word chowder is a corruption of the French chaudière (“cauldron”), and chowder may have originated among Breton fishermen who brought the custom to Newfoundland, whence it spread to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and New England.

What country is chowder from? ›

Seafood chowder history goes back to the early 18th century, with the earliest references of the dish found in Brittany, France and the Cornwall region of England – the two areas on either side of the English Channel.

Is chowder just soup? ›

A chowder is a thick, creamy soup featuring diced or chopped ingredients, left chunky for a hearty final result. Traditional chowder recipes feature seafood ingredients—for instance, clams or fish—while others forgo seafood in favor of vegetables or starches, like corn.

What is a chowder slang? ›

Slang. a stupid person; blockhead.

Is chowder a boy or girl? ›

Chowder is a boy, in Chowder Grows Up he is a 30-year-old man. In episodes, however, Chowder is protestant of growing up and says he wants to be young forever. However, he eventually grows up. Chowder is a mix between a cat, bear, and rabbit.

What makes a chowder not a stew? ›

A chowder is typically chunky, filled with ingredients like potatoes, carrots and seafood in a thick liquid. The ingredients are often chopped into smaller pieces than you'd get with a stew. The word comes from the French word for cauldron (chaudron), which is the vessel fishermen used to cook their soup in.

What to serve with fish chowder for dinner? ›

What to Serve With Fish Chowder. Pair this fish chowder with oyster crackers and a crusty homemade French bread for a comforting meal. A nice side salad will also work well.

How long will fish chowder last in the fridge? ›

Fish chowder will hold up for 4 days in your refrigerator. And the truth is it will taste better the second day when the ingredients have to time build their flavors.

Should chowder be thick or thin? ›

While soups can be thin and light, a chowder is characterized by being rich and thick. Like stew, it contains large chunks of meat or seafood and vegetables, notably potatoes.

What does chowder consist of? ›

A chowder is a rich, hearty soup with seafood or chicken that starts with a base of salt pork or bacon and a mix of vegetables like onions, celery, and potatoes. Most chowders are creamy, but one in particular—Manhattan clam chowder—has a tomato base.

What makes chowder chowder instead of soup? ›

Chowder vs. Soup: What's the Difference? While soups can be thin and light, a chowder is characterized by being rich and thick. Like stew, it contains large chunks of meat or seafood and vegetables, notably potatoes.

What are the three types of chowder? ›

Chowder has evolved constantly over the years, with its roots dating back to the 1700s in the Northeast. Today, the 3 most popular variations are Rhode Island or “clear” chowder, Manhattan or “red” chowder, and New England or “white” chowder.

What goes with fish chowder? ›

You can go for oyster crackers, warm sourdough bread, salad, french fries… the list goes on.

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