Fish Chowder Recipe
Published March 27, 2019. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Easy Fish Chowder Recipe loaded up with chunky vegetables, Yukon potatoes, crispy bacon and herbs in a delicious creamy broth.
If I’ve said it before I’ve said it a thousand times, I love soup, and this fish chowder recipe is so amazing. I’m a huge fan of chowders, and the amazing fresh Alaska halibut that is packed into this fish chowder recipe just makes it so much better. It’s still a bit cold up here in Chicago as spring always hides its face until May, so this hit’s the spot and keeps me warm for a few more weeks.
What Fish to Use
We used to make a fish chowder at one of the restaurants I worked at way back in the day. It was sort of a mish-mosh of leftover fish or really whatever we had lying around. It was really tasty, but I always felt it could have been much better if we used more quality fish.
Since it’s been so long since I made a recipe like that, it made perfect sense for me to use some fresh wild-caught Alaska halibut. Alaska halibut is probably my favorite fish. It is a slightly sweet but mild flavor, it’s steaky yet flaky, honestly, it is the best all-around fish.
The fresh Alaska halibut in this soup just enhances the overall quality. You get these huge delicious chunks of fish that make it so rich and tasty.
What is Chowder
Several countries claim that Chowder is indigenous to them. While I don’t know the answer to the exact foundation of it, I do know that it’s delicious and if I had to pinpoint the origin, I’d say it’s most likely French.
There are several different variations of it, but most of them consist of a creamy broth that is packed with vegetables and often time some form of protein. Obviously, you are probably familiar with clam and this fish chowder recipe is pretty similar.
Like most foods in the old world, this is a peasant dish made around what was available.
How to Make It
Almost all chowders begin with rendering off some bacon fat. Once your bacon is crispy, reserve it to the side and then sauté your vegetables in the rendered bacon fat. From there I add the Alaska halibut to the top of the veggies, pop a lid on and sort of steam it until it gently falls apart, which really only takes about 5 minutes or so.
I then add in some flour to make a roux and then add the additional ingredients and let it simmer until all of the flavors in the soup come out. When your recipe is done, serve it up with some herbs, oyster crackers if you have some, and a bit of leftover crispy bacon for one delicious soup!
More Soup Recipes
If you are digging this, then check out these other soup recipes.
- Butternut Squash Bisque Soup
- Authentic Italian Minestrone Recipe
- Chicken Detox Soup
- Mulligatawny Soup
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Fish Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 strips of chopped bacon
- 1 peeled and small diced yellow onion
- 4 medium diced stalks of celery
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup of creamy sherry
- 2 pounds of Alaska halibut fillets
- ¼ cup of flour
- 5 large diced Yukon potatoes
- 16- ounce jar of clam juice
- 1 cup of water
- 4 cups of whole milk
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh parsley, basil, and thyme.
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a large pot over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp.
- Remove the bacon lardons and add in the onions, celery, and garlic and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Deglaze with the sherry and cook until the liquid is almost gone about 5 minutes.
- Add the fish to the top of the veggies and place a top to the pot and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
- Add in the flour and mix until combined. The fish should break up with ease.
- Add in the potatoes, clam juice, water, milk, and heavy cream and cook over low heat until it becomes thick and the potatoes are cooked about 20 to 22 minutes.
- Finish with fresh herbs salt and pepper.
Nutrition
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Looks amazing! I grew up on Cape Cod and fish and clam chowder were eaten regularly. We didn’t use cream, just milk and seasoned only with salt and pepper. I love how recipes now include thyme and other herbs. Can’t wait to make it!
Absolutely fabulous! We used gifted rockfish here in AK.
New family favorite. Living in Oklahoma means halibut is at a premium, so we used cod, and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for posting this recipe. It is really good.
Is Alaskan Halibut easy to find? Or any idea for a Substitute on the east coast?
grouper would work well, so would cod.
corn starch will work as well. Just mix it with water or milk and follow the recipe
Quick question. Do you think gluten free flour will work okay for the roux? I have a family member that loves chowder but recently diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. I’d love to make this for her. Thank you for any thoughts on this. Love everything you post.💖
It will not, but you can make a slurry using arrowroot which is gluten-free!
Base is tasty- everything turned out really well. Just didn’t use full fat cream, so i think that’s what made it less creamier. Really tasty. Thanks – Husband approved!
Billy, your recipes are just top flight the ingredient and you way of teaching! Your expressions are so captivating I can’t stop watching and learning! I’m so very thankful you’ve given your time to teach ones who certainly don’t have your knowledge and skill. You might think about selling some aprons and cooking things with your name! Anything with your name etched in would be great. Even your own mixture of spices having your name! A pic of your face with your hat, wide eyed expression and your mannerism of pointing should be on the bib of the apron if you decide in that suggestion! May as well jack up your cash as you enjoy teaching us what you love best to do. I’d be latching onto flour companies promoting products. I’ve only been watching for the past 3 weeks but I’ve got my eye to business! I’d have loved opening a restaurant or just being the chef. Here I invested in a ton of baking supplies and a few displays to open a cookie shop before Covid hit! My grandchildren named me Cookie so my business was going to be called Cookies Place and was planning to have birthday parties in the back for kids 1-5 plus a photographer on hand.,Oh I had a lot of ideas so trust me I enjoy your classes tremendously! Thank you! I’m still looking for the best uncut extra virgin olive oil and I have no idea about what wine (exact name) to use in dishes. Once I had eaten French onion soup and I believe the chef made it using Brandy. Does that sound right to you? Of course it was cooked off but the taste was excellent. I don’t know how much to use??? Thank you for your time! Kathy💝 I put that heart so you’ll know it’s me! And probably with a question! I wish you and your family a happy, healthy new year! It’s only up from here! A great meal helps! Thank you Billy!!
So good Billy! Thank you. 🙂