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Rich and creamy fish chowder, packed with flavor yet easy to make! A hearty and wholesome recipe balanced out by tender potatoes and a light flaky fish. The perfect soup for a cozy night in or to impress your loved ones.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It comes together in under 30 minutes! Some light prep and one pot is all you’ll need for a wholesome soup that’s bursting with flavor.
- Works great for a crowd! You can easily double the recipe and wow your friends and family with the best fish chowder they’ve ever had (no one has to know how easy it was to make).
Key Ingredients
Dry White Wine – Adds a bit of brightness and acidity to the chowder, rounding out the flavors. Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are ideal, but anything with “crisp” in the description will work. Avoid a wine that might be too sweet as it might not pair well with the briny fish flavor.
Old Bay Seasoning – Old Bay is my go-to spice when cooking seafood. It adds such an incredible kick of flavor to this soup, and just a teaspoon of it goes a very long way.
Fish Sauce – Acts as the “cherry on top” of an already delicious and flavor-packed soup. Consider it your secret ingredient! Fish sauce is what takes this fish chowder to the next level.
Chef’s Tips
- You can swap chicken or seafood stock for the dry white wine. If you do, I also suggest adding a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Dry white wine is the most recommended route, though, since it adds incredible flavor and brightness to this soup.
- Any white flaky fish will work in this fish chowder recipe; Haddock, Pollack, Striped Bass, etc. When preparing the soup, remember to cut your fish pieces quite large (around 2 inches). They will shrink and even flake apart into smaller pieces once cooked. And if you love seafood, feel free to add shrimp and/or clams to this chowder, too!
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
- The Best Lobster Bisque (Ruth’s Chris Copycat Recipe)
- Whole30 Fish Taco Bowls with Mango Salsa, Chipotle Aioli, Coconut-Lime Cauliflower Rice (Paleo)
- 35 Incredible Crab Recipes
- Seafood Salad
- Easy Fish Tacos with Slaw and Chipotle Sauce
- Shrimp Bisque
- She Crab Soup
- Baked Fish with Lemon-Garlic Butter
Creamy Fish Chowder
Equipment
- Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
- ladle
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup clam juice
- 2 yukon gold potatoes large
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 ½ pounds skinless cod cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups half-and-half
- ¼ teaspoon fish sauce optional but recommended
Instructions
- Melt butter in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, once melted add in the chopped onion, celery, salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Add potatoes, clam juice, white wine, thyme, and old bay seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot with lid and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
- Add cod, cover pot with lid and cook until cod is opaque and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the half-and-half and fish sauce, give everything a quick stir and simmer for 3-5 more minutes.
- Season with additional salt and pepper, top with fresh chives and enjoy!
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use olive oil instead of butter and coconut cream instead of half-and half.
- Dry White Wine: Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are preferred, look for words like “crisp” and “dry” in the description. Avoid a dessert wine or anything that might be too sweet. Use seafood or chicken stock with a splash of lemon juice instead of wine.
- Types of Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes yield a creamy and buttery flavor, if you can’t find these use yellow potatoes instead.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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This was absolutely the BEST fish chowder we have ever had! We made it using the coconut cream. Our friends are still raving about it!! DELICIOUS!!!
So glad it was a hit with you and your friends! Thanks for sharing, Melinda! 😊
Please can you tell me what half and-half is /means ? Also can we freeze some . It looks yum thanks .
Half-and-half is a dairy product that’s equal parts cream and whole milk. You can freeze it, but the textures of the fish and dairy may not thaw and reheat well, so that’s something to be prepared for.
Hi New Best Friend! 😊
I am trying not to be such a Chub Chub…do you suppose I could toss in cauliflower instead of potatoes?
Thanks for a delicious looking recipe!
Cauliflower would definitely work in place of the potatoes! Just be careful not to overcook them. Let us know how it turns out!
I used turnips in place of potatoes. Very tasty soup!
Great swap!