Fish Chowder
Best Fish Chowder Recipe – This velvety-rich chowder is a one-bowl meal brimming with whitefish, potatoes, and heavy cream. It’s a delicious spin on a traditional New England clam chowder that everyone is sure to love!
Why We Love This Easy Soup Recipe
We love clam chowder, both the creamy-white and tomato varieties. However, I’ve noticed clams can be a little polarizing… People either love them or hate them. So today we’re offering a fabulous Fish Chowder recipe for a twist on this classic that is both crowd-pleasing and easy to make!
Making chowder with fresh or frozen fish creates a delicious seafood flavor without the texture of clams. Also, those who cannot eat shellfish, but can enjoy fresh fish, will love this recipe.
From start to finish it’s ready to serve in under an hour, and pairs perfectly with crackers and/or crusty bread. This cozy chowder fits in any night of the week and any time of the year. Go ahead and put it on your must-make list ASAP and I’m willing to bet it will be an instant family favorite!
Seafood Chowder Ingredients
- Butter – unsalted
- All-purpose flour – to make a thick roux
- Veggies – onion, celery, garlic, and potato
- Cod fillet – skinless and with bones removed (or any other firm white fish)
- Seafood stock and clam juice – the two “secret” ingredients to make the most wonderfully fishy-flavored chowder
- Cooking sherry – gives the soup a rich bisque taste
- Old Bay seasoning – traditional seafood spice blend that includes celery salt, paprika, pepper, dried thyme leaves and ground bay leaves
- Heavy cream – use the real deal for the best flavor and creamy texture
- Parsley – fresh chopped
- Salt and pepper – a bit of each to taste
How to Make Fish Chowder
Peel the onions and chopped into a ¼ inch dice. Chop the celery into similar-sized pieces. Mince the garlic. Peel the potatoes and chop them into ¼ inch cubes. Then soak the potatoes in a bowl of water until ready to use. This keeps the potatoes from browning! Chop the fresh or frozen cod into ¼ inch cubes.
Set a large 6 to 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add the butter and flour to the pot. Whisk as the butter melts to create a foamy roux for thickening. Whisk the roux for 2 to 3 minutes until it reaches a golden color.
Get the Complete (Printable) Fish Chowder Recipe with Measurements Below. Enjoy!
Stir in the chopped onions, celery, and garlic. Stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then drain the potatoes and add them to the pot. Stir and sauté the vegetables for another 8-10 minutes to soften the aromatics and partially cook the potatoes. Make sure to stir every 2-3 minutes so the vegetables do not brown on the bottom.
Add the diced cod, seafood stock, clam juice, cooking sherry, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
Stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer the chowder for 8-10 minutes to thicken the soup base and cook the fish.
Once the potatoes are soft and the fish is cooked through, stir in the heavy cream and parsley.
Taste, then salt and pepper as desired.
Chowder Recipe Variations
- Fish – We are using cod for this recipe, because it is a white mild flaky fish that most people can find. However, feel free to use any white flaky fish that is available in your area! Other delicious options include firm haddock, bass, snapper, flounder, swordfish, or tilapia.
- Seafood – Consider adding other seafood options into the fish stew, like shrimp, scallops, crab meat, or clams
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite GF-friendly all-purpose flour alternative to make the roux.
- Without alcohol – This fish chowder recipe includes a very small amount of cooking sherry or white wine. The alcohol essentially “cooks out” of the chowder and the soup is completely safe for minors. However, if you would prefer to make this nonalcoholic you can simply omit the sherry.
- Seafood stock and clam juice – These are more specialty items than pantry staples. So if you don’t happen to have them on hand, feel free to substitute with chicken broth to replace one or both ingredients. This will change the flavor of the chowder so that it isn’t so fish-heavy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve New England fish chowder warm as-is, or with chopped scallions to garnish.
Oyster crackers are a classic choice to pair with rich chowders! I suggest having a bowl of them, or other small crunchy saltine crackers, on the table with a serving spoon so everyone can help themselves.
For toppings, you can also include cooked crumbled bacon, shredded cheese,
Whether or not you serve the creamy soup with crackers, it’s always a great idea to have slices of warm crusty bread on the side. The harder the bread the better, so you can dunk and let the smooth chowder really soak in!
I also usually serve a nice crisp green salad with soup… It’s a tasty way to balance the richness of the heavy cream and lighten up the meal a little bit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both recipes include a bounty of seafood and vegetables, but fish soup has a thinner clear broth. Chowder is made with a cream-based broth that is rich and thick.
The mark of a true chowder is that it contains potato and heavy cream or milk. It can have a thick or thinner broth, but should be rich and creamy.
This recipe starts with a classic flour roux, which is what makes the chowder thick and velvety. The soup will continue to thicken as it cooks. But you can make the soup even richer by making a slurry with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, and slowly whisking into the soup as it finishes simmering.
Let the chowder cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in short bursts in a microwave; you might want to add a splash or two of cream or milk if the soup is a bit too thick.
Looking for More Easy Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Seafood Cioppino
- Tomato Potato White Bean Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup (with Biscuits)
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Fish Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups diced potato peeled and chopped into ¼ inch cubes
- 2 pounds cod filets diced ¼ inch
- 32 ounces seafood stock
- 8 ounce clam juice
- 3 tablespoon cooking sherry or white wine
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Peel the onions and chopped into a ¼ inch dice. Chop the celery into similar-sized pieces. Mince the garlic. Peel the potatoes and chop them in ¼ inch cubes. Then soak the potatoes in a bowl of water until ready to use. This keeps the potatoes from browning! Chop the fresh or frozen cod into ¼ inch cubes.
- Set a large 6 to 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add the butter and flour to the pot. Whisk as the butter melts to create a foamy roux for thickening. Whisk the roux for 2 to 3 minutes until it reaches a golden color.
- Stir in the chopped onions, celery, and garlic. Stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then drain the potatoes and add them to the pot. Stir and sauté the vegetables for another 8-10 minutes to soften the aromatics and partially cook the potatoes. Make sure to stir every 2-3 minutes so the vegetables do not brown on the bottom.
- Add the diced cod, seafood stock, clam juice, cooking sherry, Old Bay seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer the chowder for 8-10 minutes to thicken the soup base and cook the fish.
- Once the potatoes are soft and the fish is cooked through, stir in the heavy cream and parsley. Taste, then salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve warm as-is of with chopped scallions and/or oyster crackers for a garnish.
I am thrilled I found this recipe! I had some cod that I wanted to make for dinner and wanted to try something new. I am so happy I did!! Great recipe.
It’s been cold and rainy here and I had a hankering for clam chowder, but then I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try instead. All I can say is WOW. Who knew that fish chowder was so delicious?!
This chowder is packed with flavor!! We make it with tilapia & I love it!! It’s a comforting, delicious dish!!
Do the small pieces of cod almost disintegrate in the chowder? That is a problem I have every time I make fish chowder.
Hi Mike!
They shouldn’t… Cod usually holds together pretty well. Plus, it is only simmering for 8-10 minutes before turning off the heat.