Description
A rich, creamy seafood chowder featuring a mix of fresh seafood, crispy bacon, and tender vegetables simmered in a flavorful roux-based broth. This comforting dish is perfect for a hearty meal and is served best with crusty or garlic bread to soak up the delicious chowder.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood
- 650g (1.3lb) seafood marinara mix or mixed fresh seafood – fish, squid, prawns, cooked mussel meat
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 7mm (1/3″) pieces (~1 1/2 cups)
- 2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 1cm (0.2″) cubes (~2 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup corn, frozen or canned, drained
- 3 tbsp chives or parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
Base
- 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 as substitute if needed)
- 1 litre (4 cups) low sodium chicken stock or homemade fish stock (avoid store-bought fish stock)
- 1 cup thickened cream / heavy cream (substitute milk for lighter option)
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- Pinch white pepper (or substitute black pepper)
Instructions
- Prepare seafood: Separate cooked seafood (such as cooked mussels or prawns) from raw seafood. Cut any large fish pieces into 2.5cm (1″) cubes.
- Cook bacon: In a heavy-based pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving fat in pot.
- Sauté garlic & deglaze: Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 10 seconds without browning it. Pour in the white wine, increase heat and simmer rapidly for 3 minutes, scraping the base to loosen browned bits until most of the wine evaporates.
- Make roux: Reduce heat to medium, add flour to the pot and stir for 1 minute to form a roux.
- Add stock: Gradually pour about 1 cup of stock into the roux while stirring to dissolve it into a thick paste. Then add the remaining stock and stir well until smooth and lump-free, using a whisk if necessary.
- Simmer vegetables: Increase heat to high, bring to a boil. Add carrots, potatoes, and cooked bacon. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes until carrots are nearly tender.
- Cook raw seafood: Add cream, fish sauce, white pepper, corn, and raw seafood. Simmer for 3 minutes until seafood is just cooked and fish flesh flakes easily.
- Add cooked seafood and season: Stir in the cooked seafood pieces. Taste the chowder and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve: Ladle chowder into bowls, garnish with chopped chives or parsley. Serve hot with warm crusty or garlic bread for dipping.
Notes
- Use a seafood marinara mix with a combination of both cooked and raw seafood for best texture and flavor.
- Choose homemade fish stock or low sodium chicken stock to control saltiness and flavor.
- For a gluten-free chowder, substitute plain flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- White wine is optional; omit for a non-alcoholic version.
- Using heavy cream provides richness, but substitute with milk for a lighter option.
- Fish sauce adds umami; adjust quantity to taste or omit if unavailable.
- Serve with crusty or garlic bread to soak up the chowder.
