Seafood Chowder is a delicious, rich creamy soup that is table ready in about 30 minutes!

Tender shrimp, fish and scallops are combined in a creamy white wine broth with veggies. This flavor packed chowder recipe is a comfort food that can be easily enjoyed at home any day of the week!

Creamy Shrimp Chowder in a white bowl

A really great New England Clam Chowder is one of our favorite ways to enjoy a bowl of comfort food. There is just something so belly warming about a creamy bowl of seafood goodness! This chowder recipe can be prepared on a weeknight because it cooks really quickly!

What is Chowder?

So what makes a soup a chowder?

A chowder is a type of soup that most often (not always) has a creamy base and is chunky in texture. There are a few variations of chowder: clam chowder, corn chowder, and of course, this seafood chowder!

I start by simmering the veggies in seafood or chicken broth for great flavor and then add in the seafood and cream to cook at the end! Chowders can sometimes be thickened using a roux and in the case of this seafood chowder recipe, the potatoes also provide quite a bit of starch to help it thicken it!

Spoonful of Creamy Shrimp Chowder

Seafood chowder is a complete meal on its own loaded with shrimp, scallops and fish.  We add in a side of Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits or Cheddar Bay Biscuits to sop up any of the creamy goodness at the bottom of the bowl!

When I make seafood chowder recipe, I always add corn for a color and a hint of sweetness. If you have extra vegetables you need to use up, this dish is perfect for it! Mushrooms, peppers, or peas all make great additions to this chowder!

How to Make Chowder

While some chowders take longer to cook (like my fave Slow Cooker Corn Chowder) this easy recipe is table ready in about 30 minutes!

  1. Cook onion in butter. Add flour.
  2. Add veggies, broth and wine and cook until tender.
  3. Stir in cream and seafood and simmer a few minutes.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

You can add any kind of seafood into this chowder recipe; lobster, crab, salmon…  just be mindful of cooking time so your seafood doesn’t overcook!

Creamy Shrimp Chowder in a bowl

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Creamy Shrimp Chowder in a white bowl
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Creamy Seafood Chowder

This seafood chowder is a delicious, creamy soup filled with shrimp, scallops and fish.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
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Ingredients  

  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 rib celery sliced
  • 1 carrot sliced
  • 1 pound potatoes peeled and cubed
  • ½ cup corn kernels
  • 5 cups chicken broth or seafood broth
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 8 ounces white fish like cod, salmon, tilapia or haddock, cut into chunks
  • 8 ounces sea scallops
  • 12 ounces medium shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 6.5 ounces chopped clams canned, drained
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions 

  • Cook onion in butter until tender. Add flour, Old Bay seasoning and thyme and cook 2-3 minutes.
  • Add carrot, celery, potato, corn, broth and wine & bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
  • Stir in seafood and cream. Cook until fish is fully cooked and flaky and potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4.98 from 401 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 577 | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 301mg | Sodium: 1541mg | Potassium: 732mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3650IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 4.7mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Soup
Cuisine American

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.98 from 401 votes (285 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. The chowder was delicious! I used light cream and a mixture of spices since I was out of Old Bay. I added some extra corn for more sweetness. It was so easy to make! This recipe is a keeper!!5 stars

  2. Sensational, this has turned out so well, wow it’s the best, better than what I ordered the other day which is what inspired me to find a recipe5 stars

  3. I love this recipe and don’t change any of the ingredients with the exception of a seafood swap out fish for bay scallops. Yum! Comfort food for fall and winter.5 stars

  4. I made this today. It was absolutely delicious. I omitted the white wine vinegar and couldn’t seem to find seafood broth so used chicken broth. It will definitely be my go to recipe going forward for seafood chowder.5 stars

  5. This was delicious, I doubled my ingredients, and I’m not one to measure precisely, but it came out just right. I added extra vegetables, let my seafood sit in hot water on the stove for roughly 5-10 mins, on very low heat (to not overcook the seafood), and used that water as my stock … beautiful … my first ever seafood chowder dish … We have a big, shared lunch at work tomorrow – this will my contribution … I hope they like it as much as I do …

    Thank you!5 stars

  6. overall, a very nice recipe.
    however, there are some weeks that need to be made
    1. less fish stock. needs to be thicker that how it comes out.
    2. more flour (another cup)
    3. more grounded spiced herbs
    4. 1 less potato

    other than that it was a flavoursome dish and we enjoyed it4 stars

  7. this was so good. better than I thought it would be even. I’ve made a chowder before and it was so bland etc but this one was tasty and just so good. I’d even say it was delicious. We did add some extra old bay (that you can now get at coles/worth in Aus), and used the pretty bland Campbell’s fish stock but the ending. it made enough for us to have 5 meals tonight and there’s enough for another night as well.5 stars

  8. Everyone raved! I added fresh muscles and Dungeness crab and used 2 leeks instead of onions. It wasn’t super thick so had to add some mashed potatoes.5 stars

  9. This seafood chowder turned out great! I used half and half instead of heavy cream because that’s what I had on hand. I also used quite a bit more Old Bay seasoning than stated, lots of coarse pepper, and some bay leaves because we like things extra seasoned and spicy. Still delicious. Great recipe! Thank you!

    1. Just add a bit more roux; it’s so easy. ;). Actually, when frying onions with butter at the beginning of this recipe, you are making a roux (even if it is not called a roux;). Roux is a universal sauce and soup thickener used in French cuisine, the same role as starch in Asian cuisine. I always have roux and ghee made in advance in my fridge. You can add roux to your sauce/soup at any stage; the result will be magic – it will become thicker immediately. To make a roux use equil parts of butter (ghee is way better) and flower, cook them together foe a few minutes.

  10. Excellent and easy! Can’t use dairy products due to allergies but it was very creamy without the cream. Definitely will make again and probably for a group next time.

    PS – I added a bit of Sherry to the last servings we had. Very yummy!5 stars

      1. I use lactose free milk and lactose free cream for recipes like this calling for these items. Then my whole family can enjoy!
        Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!5 stars

  11. Made this today and it was DELICIOUS.
    Will definitely make this again. The only change I made is double the spices but I usually do this with all recipes5 stars