Description
This Seafood Chowder is a creamy, comforting dish filled with a delicious mix of seafood including fish, squid, prawns, and mussels, cooked in a rich broth made with bacon, garlic, white wine, and cream. Perfectly seasoned with fish sauce and white pepper, this chowder is served with fresh chives and crusty bread for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood
- 650g (1.3lb) seafood marinara mix or mixed fresh seafood (fish, squid, prawns, cooked mussel meat)
- Separate cooked mussels from raw seafood, cut large fish into 2.5cm (1″) cubes
Main Base
- 50g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 100g (4oz) streaky bacon, chopped into 1.5cm (1/2″) squares
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine (optional)
- 1/3 cup plain/all-purpose flour (substitute gluten-free with cornflour/cornstarch and water mixture)
- 1 litre (4 cups) low sodium chicken stock or homemade fish stock
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 7mm (1/3″) pieces (~1 1/2 cups)
- 2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 1cm (0.2″) cubes (~2 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup thickened cream/heavy cream (can substitute milk for lighter option)
- 1 cup corn (frozen or canned, drained)
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- Pinch white pepper (can substitute black pepper)
Serving
- 3 tbsp chives or parsley, finely chopped
- Crusty bread or garlic bread
Instructions
- Prepare Seafood: Separate cooked seafood (usually mussels) from raw seafood. Cut any large fish pieces into 2.5cm (1″) cubes to ensure even cooking.
- Cook Bacon and Render Fat: In a heavy-based pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon into a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
- Sauté Garlic and Deglaze: Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for about 10 seconds without browning. Pour in the white wine and simmer rapidly over high heat for 3 minutes, scraping the pot base to loosen browned bits until the wine mostly evaporates.
- Make Roux: Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and stir continuously for 1 minute to cook the flour and form a roux.
- Add Stock to Roux: Gradually pour about 1 cup of stock into the pot while stirring to dissolve the roux; it should thicken into a paste. Add the remaining stock and stir well to remove lumps, using a whisk if needed.
- Simmer Vegetables and Bacon: Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, then add carrots, potatoes, and cooked bacon. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes until carrots are nearly tender.
- Add Cream, Corn, Fish Sauce, Pepper, and Raw Seafood: Stir in cream, corn, fish sauce, white pepper, and raw seafood. Simmer for 3 minutes until fish is just cooked and flakes easily.
- Incorporate Cooked Seafood: Gently stir in the cooked seafood pieces. Taste and adjust salt if necessary; no additional salt is often needed due to bacon and fish sauce.
- Serve: Ladle chowder into bowls, sprinkle with chopped chives or parsley, and serve immediately with warm crusty or garlic bread.
Notes
- Seafood Mix: Store-bought seafood marinara mix is ideal, typically containing a blend of fish, salmon, calamari, prawns, and cooked mussels. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge using a strainer.
- Chicken Stock Preference: Chicken stock is preferred over store-bought fish stock for better flavor; store-bought fish stocks often have an unpleasant taste.
- Gluten-Free Option: Omit the flour and instead mix 2.5 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch with water, combine with cream, then proceed as usual.
- Leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm gently on the stove to avoid overcooking seafood.
- Cooking Tip: Avoid browning garlic to keep a delicate flavor and prevent bitterness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 350g)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
