Most folks think of New England or Manhattan when they hear the word “Chowder”, or as it’s pronounced in the New England Area, “Chowda!”. But Chowders can go a number of direction and include a number of ingredients ranging from corn , vegetables or chicken to various seafood items. Traditionally the only things binding a soup to it’s name of Chowder is the inclusions of milk or cream, a roux (which is a combination of fat and flour) or sometimes broken up crackers. Hence why you don’t see a Beef Chowder floating around… that would just be gross.
I still remember the first taste I had of New England Chowder. It was at a seafood restaurant in Cape May and I had picked up on the fact that my Father religiously ordered it when we went there. Sitting outside, happily eating his soup out of a cup, he would without fail exclaim, “I’m going to learn how to make this!”. Finally I was offered a taste and after being a bit cautious, I closed my eyes and tasted what turned out to be one of the best things I had ever tasted. Bacony, creamy, chunky, salty, and seasoned just right, this was amazing. Year after year, we went back and year after year, Dad would say, whilst shaking his head and gulping down his soup, “I’m going to learn how to make this!”.
Well, Dad never did learn how to make it. To be fair, he never really tried but that’s ok. This made me even more excited when I did at Culinary School learn how to make it! I’ve made a few variations over the years but when I decided to do a soup week, I wanted to switch away from the normal “Clam Only” restrictions of Manhattan and New England, no offense to them. I wanted to follow Fleetwood Mac and “Go my Own Way”. So I did!
Crabmeat, Shrimp and Clams are my trifecta for my chowder. Each has it’s own distinct flavor and tastes that they bring to the board. For crabmeat, I went with claw meat, a cheaper option but still has flavor. You have to be gentle with crab meat in soups anyways and it’s generally added in last due to it’s delicate nature. That applies even more so for Jumbo Lump or Lump Crabmeat. The shrimp I diced and added in later as well to try and protect the integrity of the meat. This also can overcook easily.
I like adding a bit of clam juice to my chowder along with using a seafood stock to try and add more authentic flavor. I also omitted carrots cause I’m weird about them being in there. I love them, don’t get me wrong. Just not a fan normally in a cream based soup.
I didn’t thicken mine a great amount. Chowders don’t have to be super thick. They can be broth based or thicker and creamier based on preference. Feel free to adjust the flour content based on what you prefer and enjoy.
Finally, serve your chowder with a thick and crusty bread. It’s perfect for dunking especially on cold nights. This is a great soup to make and freeze for later in the winter as well.
Seafood Chowder
Makes approximately 4 quarts
- 3-4 bacon strips, raw and chopped
- 1 medium onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 large russet potatoes, cleaned, peeled and medium diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, Chopped
- 2 quarts Fish or Shellfish Stock
- 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- 1 lb 20-25 Shrimp, raw and chopped
- 1 cup Chopped Clams with their juices
- 1 container of Crab meat from Claw
In a stock pot or Dutch Oven, cook bacon over medium heat. Render down fat and when bacon is just crispy, remove from pot and set aside.
In remaining bacon fat, add the onions and celery. Cook until translucent but not browned. Stir in flour and incorporate completely with bacon fat.
Deglaze the pot with the white wine. Add in your potatoes, thyme, bay leaf and seafood stock.
Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Return bacon to pot as well as heavy cream. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
Stir in shrimp and clams and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes.
Lastly, add crabmeat in and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!