Creamy Seafood Chowder
For the best chowder recipe, try our Creamy Seafood Chowder made with shrimp, clams, and crab meat, and optional bacon. Top with chives!
Ingredients
- 8-10 bacon strips, divided
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3-4 small potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
- 2 8 ounce bottles clam juice
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups half-and-half, divided
- 3 6 ½ oz cans whole clams, chopped into chunky pieces, no need to drain
- 12 oz salad shrimp, bay shrimp
- 12 oz crabmeat, shredded
- Bay leaf
- 1-2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning, or more
- Chopped fresh chives or green onions, for garnish
Equipment
- Dutch Oven (I like this one from Lodge)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Add butter to the drippings (you can spoon out some of the drippings if you don’t want to use that much); saute celery, leek, and onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, broth, clam juice, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
- Stir in (drained) clams, shrimp, crabmeat, and remaining 3 cups of half-and-half; heat through (do not boil); turn down to low heat; add the bay leaf. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes on low heat. Add in 4 strips of crumbled bacon, and season to taste with Old Bay seasoning.
- Crumble the reserved 2 strips of bacon. Garnish chowder with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives.
Notes
Reposted from October 2020.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 426kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 108mg, Sodium: 992mg, Potassium: 729mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 874IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 184mg, Iron: 2mg