I think every cook should have an excellent seafood chowder in their repertoire. This is mine. Well, actually, it's my cousin Elise's, who was kind enough to share the recipe with me. Elise is the best cook I know. Now she should start a food blog. What I love about this chowder is how all the flavors just seem to sing together. It seems sometimes chowders can be too bland--or have flavors that overpower the seafood. I find the flavors in this version are just right.
You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it step-by-step...
Here are the ingredients. A note about the seafood (which includes a mixture of fish and shellfish): you can often find (or ask for) seafood that is pretty much "ready to go" for the chowder. For example, if you use a fish such a salmon or halibut, you can ask your purveyor to remove the skin for you. For shrimp, you can often find them de-veined and peeled.
~ We'll begin by roasting some potatoes, so preheat your oven to 400° F. ~
1) Wash 1 lb. of waxy or "boiling" potatoes and spread them out on a sheet pan. They'll still be a bit wet, but that's OK.
2) Put the potatoes in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Shake the pan and
return them to the oven for another 5 minutes. The potatoes should now
be completely dry and ready to accept a coating of olive oil.
3) Brush the potatoes generously with olive oil.
4) Return the potatoes to the oven. Roast until they are fork-tender, an
additional 10-20 minutes (or more) depending on the size of the
potatoes. Set the roasted potatoes aside to cool slightly.
~ While the potatoes are roasting, you can prepare the vegetables. Tip: Setting up a prep station will make this easier. ~
5) To dice 1 onion, cut the ends off each onion and split in half lengthwise...
...place cut-side down and slice through lengthwise...
...make crosswise cuts to create the dice. Set the diced onions aside in a bowl.
6) To dice 1 red pepper, cut the ends off the peppers...
...open up the pepper with a single lengthwise cut and remove the seeds and white membrane. Cut into lengthwise strips...
...and then cut the strips crosswise. Use a similar procedure to dice the pepper tops and bottoms.
7) To dice 3 peeled medium carrots, cut in half lengthwise and cut each half lengthwise again, creating four long pieces...
...gather the four pieces together and cut crosswise to dice. Set diced carrots aside in a medium bowl.
8) Strip the leaves from branches of fresh thyme...
...until you have a generous tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves.
Mince the thyme leaves and set aside.
9) Remove 5 slices of bacon from the package. Stack the bacon strips and cut into crosswise pieces.
10) Transfer the bacon to an unheated dutch oven.
11) Place the Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the bacon...
...until it is crispy.
12) Drain the bacon on some paper towels. We'll reserve this for garnishing the stew.
13) To the hot Dutch oven immediately add the diced onion...
...and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
14) Add the carrots and peppers...
...and the chopped fresh thyme.
15) Pour in 1 cup of dry red wine...
...2 8-oz. bottles of clam juice...
...and 2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes in juice (including the juice).
~ Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Meanwhile, we can prepare the garnish and seafood. ~
16) Rinse a handful of Italian parsley leaves...
...turn the rinsed leaves out onto a clean kitchen towel...
...and roll the towel up to squeeze out the extra moisture.
17) Shake the parsley leaves out on to a cutting board...
...and finely chop. Set the chopped parsley aside to use as a garnish.
18) If necessary, remove the skin from 8 oz. of firm-fleshed fish (such as cod, halibut, or salmon). Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
19) Next, we'll prepare 6 oz. of shrimp. If necessary, peel and de-vein the shrimp (as a short-cut, I bought shrimp that's already been peeled and de-veined). Pull the tails off the shrimp...
...and cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
20) Prepare 8 oz. of scallops by cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
~ Now comes the final stew assembly. ~
21) Cut the roasted potatoes into bite-sized pieces...
...and add to the stew.
20) Add all the prepared seafood (the fish, shrimp, and scallops).
~ Over medium heat, poach the seafood for 5 minutes, just until it is opaque. ~
21) Add 6 oz. of fresh crabmeat, and heat just until warmed through. Taste the stew and add salt and pepper to taste.
22) Serve the seafood stew garnished with the reserved bacon and chopped parsley.
Market Seafood Chowder
Serves 6.
1 lb. cooked potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 strips bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 peeled carrots, diced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
1 cup dry red wine
2 8-oz. bottles clam juice
2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 lb. firm-fleshed fish such as salmon, halibut or cod - cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb. scallops, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into bite-sized pieces
6 oz. fresh crabmeat
Fresh chopped parsley
- In a Dutch oven, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until it is crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve for garnish.
- In the rendered bacon fat, cook the diced onions until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, red pepper, and fresh thyme. Pour in the wine, clam juice, and diced tomatoes (including the juice). Simmer the broth over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
- To the broth, add the prepared potatoes, fish, scallops, and shrimp. Poach the seafood over medium heat for 5 minutes - just until it is opaque.
- Add the crabmeat and heat just until the stew is warmed through.
- Garnish with the reserved bacon and chopped parsley.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! To view more step-by-step recipes, see the complete recipe index.
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