Creamy Seafood Chowder Recipe with Clams, Shrimp & Fish

Creamy, briny, and deeply satisfying, creamy seafood chowder brings together tender fish, shrimp, and clams in a velvety broth anchored by crispy bacon and root vegetables. 

What makes our recipe the best seafood chowder anywhere? Perfectly crisp bacon, pro tips for handling the clams (kick that grit to the curb!), and a little blender action to reach the ideal thickness and depth of flavor.

There’s something timeless about seafood chowder with its scent of the ocean wrapped in dairy and herbs—completely cozy, nourishing, and a touch indulgent.

We think you’ll love this recipe above all others because it’s hearty without being heavy, layered with flavors of the sea, and loaded with nutrient-rich root vegetables for restaurant-quality chowder at home.

We served ours with Sprouted Wheat Dinner Rolls, but oyster crackers are also a solid choice.

7 Secrets to Making the Best Creamy Seafood Chowder

1. Crisp the bacon and fully render the fat—for the best texture, cook the bacon until completely crisp, so when it is added to the soup, it doesn’t go limp and taste fatty. Bacon should be very crispy—not burnt, but very crispy, so it holds its texture in this or any soup. 

2. Pick through the clams—Canned clams can contain sandy bits, stringy debris, or tiny shell fragments. Take the time to pick through the clams, discarding any clams with embedded sand (see photo) and any stringy bits of intestinal track (you’ll know it when you see it). This helps reduce off-putting gritty bites.

NOTE: Each brand of canned clams is different and will have differing amounts of juice with the clams. My favorite is the 51-ounce can of chopped clams from Sea Watch, which produces approximately 3.5 cups of clam juice (find it at Costco occasionally and also online at Amazon). If the clams that you use do not have enough juice for the recipe, chicken, fish, or vegetable stock can be used to top off the amount needed. Separate clam juice can also be purchased as a backup.

TIP: We’ve tried chopped clams and baby clams in this recipe. We like chopped better because the texture is meatier, and find it easier to spot and remove sand from them.

3. Let the juices settle—Once the clam juice is strained off the clams, let it settle before pouring it into the soup. When pouring it in, watch the bottom of the measuring cup to make sure the last little bit of juice doesn’t get poured in. This small amount of juice is where the grit should have settled and should be left behind. 

4. Blend to thicken and deepen flavors—No flour or thickeners needed here—just a blender. Milk and cream deliver a velvety body but don’t do much to thicken the chowder and can mask subtle flavors. The trick is to blend a portion of the shrimp, vegetables, and broth to create a starchy seafood mixture to stir back into the soup for the best flavor distribution.

5. Green onion and sweet yellow onion—while you can certainly use only one or the other, we like both types of onions in this soup for the different aspects each brings to the overall flavor. Green onions add a bright, fresh element, while the sweet yellow onions add to the depth of flavor. 

Using white pepper and black pepper, fresh and dried thyme is the same concept. Same type of ingredient, but each brings a different element for a more complex flavor profile.

6. Add seafood after the vegetables are cooked—fish and shrimp cook quickly, so it’s best to add them late and cook briefly once the vegetables are simmered. Mild-flavored white fish like cod, haddock, sea bass (barrimundi), or halibut will hold their shape better than flakier fish like orange roughy, tilapia, or flounder.

7. Finish with acid—a squeeze of fresh lemon juice keeps the cream base lively and balanced. Acid acts similarly to salt, enhancing and “lifting” flavors to make them more vibrant, and elevates any dish from good to great. Here, the fresh lemon juice keeps the creamy broth from tasting heavy or fishy.

Potato PRO TIP: Red or yellow (waxy, thin-skinned) potatoes are the better choice for chowder than russets because they are less starchy and hold their shape when cooked.

Recipe Step-by-Step

1. Cook the bacon until very crispy and all the fat is rendered.
2. Drain the juice from the clams and pick through the clams to remove sandy clams and debris.
3. Sauté all the onions in 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes, celery, parsnips, clam juice, dried and fresh thyme, salt, and white pepper; simmer about 10 minutes. 
5. Puree 1/4 of the raw shrimp with 1 1/2 cups of the cooked vegetables and liquid in a blender. Add the milk and blend again to thin the puree; add to the soup.
6. Stir in cream, liquid smoke, bacon, clams, fish, and the rest of the shrimp; gently simmer for 20-30 minutes to cook and meld flavors, stirring occasionally. 
7. Finish with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon, pepper, and salt, to taste.

Storage & Reheating

• Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze. 
• Defrost frozen chowder in the refrigerator, then reheat gently over medium-low; avoid boiling to prevent dairy from separating and seafood from toughening.
• The soup will be very thick once chilled or frozen; resist the urge to thin it until it is warmed through.
• Thin with milk, chicken, or fish stock, if desired.

Are you all in for chowdah? Try this quick Salmon Dill Chowder too!

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