This Easy Seafood Chowder Recipe is a perfect choice for this winter. Delicious, full of seafood goodness, and super easy to make.
This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here.
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I would probably eat seafood every day of the week if I could. Seriously, there’s something I love about shrimp, crab, mussels, etc. Oddly enough, I don’t cook with it as often I should. Perhaps because the majority of the time I have chicken on my mind and the majority of our weeknight meals have some form of poultry. However, this easy seafood chowder has crept into our dinner rotation so much that I had to share the recipe with you all.
When I think of seafood chowder, the word easy never usually crossed my mind…until I came across this recipe. I had been searching the interwebs for a good soup recipe and somehow stumbled across this one. Fact is, it’s so easy that it can be made in about 30 minutes and nothing needs to be thawed out. This is perfect for me as I always forget to thaw my frozen meat out. In all honesty, I have been a little slack in planning my meals the last few months. Perhaps this is the reason why seafood has crept into our rotation so often. Shrimp and mussels thaw and cook quite quickly.
Should the seafood in this easy seafood chowder be thawed first?
Nope, there is no need. Sounds crazy but seafood cooks quickly and can be cooked from frozen and will have great texture in your final dish. You don’t want your seafood to over cook. I find adding it in while frozen helps. It’s a method I use for my Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella. With this soup, the broth is prepared first and the frozen seafood is added and cooked within a matter of 5-10 minutes.
How to serve Easy Seafood Chowder?
I like to serve this meal in these cute french onion soup bowls so we can hold the handle while we eat our soup. It’s perfect for those of us who like to eat our soup in bed.
Let me know if you try this Easy Seafood Chowder Recipe. If you post it on the social media, please hashtag #myforkinglife so I can let you know how amazing you are.
Notes on Easy Seafood Chowder Recipe
- You can add any kind of seafood to the chowder. I personally prefer the three listed in this recipe but a good fish, like a cod, could make a great substitute.
- Swanson Cooking Stock, Seafood, 32 ozcan be purchased in most grocery stores. You can also make your own by sauteing carrots, onions, celery, and shrimp shells. It takes a long time and I feel the store bought stuff works just fine.
- You can add a chopped russet potatoes to this dish to give it more substance. Just make sure to add the potato to the broth early and allow it cook before adding the seafood.
- This can also be served as a good appetizer. We get about 6 servings out of this seafood chowder.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try my Pressure Cooker Sausage lentil and sausage soup recipe.
Easy Seafood Chowder
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 stalk celery minced
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon marojam
- 3 Tablespoon flour
- 2 cups seafood stock
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 can cream of potato soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 6 oz frozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb frozen fully cooked mussels in garlic sauce
- 1 6 oz can of lump crab meat
Instructions
- Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add onions and celery and saute until softened.Add cayenne pepper, old bay, thyme, marojam and stir to incorporate.Add flour and stir.Add seafood stock, milk, cream of potato soup and cream of celery soup. Stir and bring to boil.Once boiling, add shrimp, mussells, and crab meat. Stir to ensure all seafood is covered. Leave in broth until fully cooked, about 6 minutes.Soup is done when shrimp is pink color.
Nutrition
Like this Recipe? Pin this Easy Seafood Chowder Recipe for Later
Recipe adapted from Food.com
Carol
Monday 10th of January 2022
Please, is it necessary to use so much butter (salted or unsalted)?
I have had so much enjoyment from both the recipes and videos! You are one TERRIFIC and TALENTED Woman. I think I have cooked at least 3000 meals over the last few years---breakfast, lunch, and Dinner, and then at 5PM, I become a cocktail waitress. Your recipes are always amongst my first go to sites.
Tanya
Monday 10th of January 2022
Thanks so much for the sweet comment Carol! I use unsalted butter and just salt to taste afterward. And yes, you can reduce the amount of butter. Down to 1/4 cup will be fine.
Michelle
Thursday 15th of August 2019
I followed this recipe quite closely, but I had many leftover portions from a crab/seafood boil a few weeks prior(which I froze). Used all the ingredients you listed but also added cream of mushroom and cream of shrimp. Had to use chicken broth bcuz seafood broth was not available. This was delicious, BUT I had the crazy idea to add lemon juice and keep my large stockpot on warm for a couple hours. Suddenly, my beautiful chowder started foaming and frothing. Turned sour and had to throw out about 15 gallons of chowder. So, NOTE: Do NOT add acidity, which is typical with seafood. It WILL curdle and “cook” itself. Will definitely try this again!! WITHOUT lemon juice!
Donna
Tuesday 6th of December 2016
This is fate, my dad literally asked me how to make seafood chowder last night, and now this pops up :) I will have to pass it along!
Tanya
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
How cool is that! Hope he enjoys the recipe as much as I do.
Jenni
Monday 5th of December 2016
What a great chowder recipe! I love how you used lots of things besides clams!
Tanya
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
Thank you!
Amy
Sunday 4th of December 2016
Seafood chowder sounds delicious! I love clam chowder but have never thought of using other seafood besides clams!
Tanya
Wednesday 7th of December 2016
Thank you! Chowder recipes are the best.