Thick And Creamy New England Seafood Chowder

Seafood Chowder is a delicious and hearty soup. The creamy goodness of shrimp, scallops, clams, and potatoes cooks in less than 30 minutes. It is easy to make and really hits the spot!

With so many nutrients and flavor, this will be your go-to chowder during the chilly months. I do love tasty canned clam chowders for a quick and easy meal – usually lunch. However, with this easy to cook seafood chowder, you can make your very own mouthwatering seafood chowder from scratch. It is really much, much better. And you will amaze yourself at your culinary skills.

Chowder Vs Soup

Technically this creamy comfort food is not a soup, but a chowder. So what makes a soup a chowder? The easy answer is that a chowder is thick and somewhat chunky base versus a soup that is has a thin liquid consistency.

Soup usually consists of a chicken broth and vegetables along with meat and has a thin consistency. However, chowders like this seafood chowder are made with cream or milk and consists of potatoes, shrimp, scallops, and clams. Further, chowders are generally thickened by adding a roux to them. While soup is comforting, a chowder is liquid comfort food at it’s best!

Shellfish Lovers

This seafood chowder is a favorite among creamy soup lovers and shellfish lovers alike. I really like fish. However, I really LOVE shellfish! I could eat shellfish multiple times per week. I mean, who doesn’t love the sweet taste of scallops, lobster, an crab meat? And then there are clams, mussels, and shrimp to consider as well. All of the above have their own flavors that make for spectacular dishes.

New England is famous for it’s shellfish. We really are spoiled when it comes to delicious seafood chowders because the shellfish needed to make this creamy masterpiece is readily available year round.

You can mix and match your favorite shellfish in this chowder to create a different bowl each time you make it. For instance, if scallops are expensive, you might consider opting for lump crab meat or lobster meat. Although neither of those options are considered inexpensive, you might get lucky if you catch the sales at the right time!

How To Make

If seafood chowder seems intimidating to make at home, you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy this is to cook. As previously mentioned, this delectable dinner comes together quickly. You can actually get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes! Therefore, you can serve this up any night of the week – even the busy nights!

Furthermore, if you want to make your life even easier, you can skip the dishes by serving this seafood chowder in bread bowls. Because no bowls equals less cleanup!

Here is what you will need for this amazing seafood chowder:

Ingredients

• 6 slices Bacon
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp Garlic minced
• 1/2 Onion diced
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 5 tbsp Flour
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 cans Cream of Bacon Soup
• 2.5 cups Light Cream
• 2 cans Chopped Clams
• 2 cans Diced Potatoes
• 1 lb Shrimp small, deveined, cooked
• 1 lb Bay Scallops

Instructions

As was previously stated, this yummy dinner will be quick and easy. Check out what you need to make this delicious seafood chowder:

• Heat a large stockpot over medium heat.
• Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy (about 6 to 8 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
• Melt butter in the stockpot.
• Add garlic and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in thyme for about 1 minute.
• Whisk in flour until lightly browned (about 1 minute).
• Gradually whisk in cream, vegetable broth, clam juice, and cook. Whisking constantly, until slightly thickened about 1-2 minutes.
• Add 1 can of cream of bacon. Stir frequently and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in clams, scallops, and shrimp until heated through.
• Add potatoes.
• Add 2nd can of cream of bacon. Stir frequently and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add more cream or milk, if too thick.
• Serve immediately.
• Garnish with crumbled bacon.

More Soups To Try

If you love soup, chowder, and creamy dishes, you need to try the following recipes. They are really easy to make so you can make them any night of the week, even if you are pressed for time, you can make these yummy dinners!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Turkey, Kale, & Brown Rice Soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup