Packed with flavor, this wonderful, easy, homemade seafood chowder continues to be a favorite around here. The nice thing about this seafood chowder is that it's usually easy to find a nice white fish, some salmon, and some fresh shrimp to cook into the chowder. Although, when in season, I do love my seafood chowder packed with fresh lobster, too! I made this flavorful homemade seafood chowder for a book club luncheon one day, and we had ladies going back to get another bowl! Enjoy!
Saute in a large pot over medium heat for 4-5 minutes:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
dash salt and pepper
Add, and saute, stirring regularly for 5-7 minutes: (lower the heat a bit, if you're finding it's browning/sticking to the bottom of your pan too much)
1.5 lbs potatoes, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced fennel bulb (I LOVE the flavor this adds)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced OR 1/4 - 1/3 cup garlic scapes, sliced (if in season)
Add and cook an additional 1-2 minutes:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2-3 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (adds spiciness, so use less if you prefer less bite)
3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce (can add extra, if you want more of a kick)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Add, then simmer vegetable soup for ~7-8 minutes:
~3 cups water (just until top of veggies)
1 tsp lobster bouillon paste (this really adds a wonderful flavor to your chowder, but you can use a GF chicken bouillon or Asian mushroom seasoning, if needed)
Add to the pot, letting it start to simmer/bubble again while you mix the small bowl of cornstarch and liquids to thicken:
1 cup 10% cream OR whole milk (lactose-free works great)
Mix in a small bowl:
1/4 cup 10% cream OR whole milk
1/4 cup water
2-3 Tbsp cornstarch OR 1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
Once you've mixed the cornstarch together, you want to add it a little at a time to the bubbling soup. Stirring and returning soup to a low boil to adjust thickness after you add each 1-2 Tbsp. I prefer a less thick chowder, but cook and adjust, as you prefer.
Once you've achieved the desire chowder thickness and returned your soup to a boil over medium-low to medium heat, add the following and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:
2 fillets white fish (cod, haddock, or tilapia), cut in large bite-sized pieces
1-2 fillets salmon, cut in large bite-sized pieces
1-2 large handfuls of fresh shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off), cut in half, if they're large
You can vary up the fish you use, as you prefer - scallops are great, too. I like to use more mild-tasting fish, or they can overpower the other ones.
Taste test the soup at this point to adjust with salt and pepper, as desired. The Old Bay Seasoning has quite a bit of salt, so I usually just add a dash of pepper.
This flavorful seafood chowder is wonderful served alongside garlic bread. A few breads we enjoy eating as garlic bread are: a tasty Gluten Free French Bread-Style Bread, GF white bread, GF naan bread, and homemade GF sourdough bread.
Delicious bowl of fresh seafood chowder, half eaten because it's too delicious to wait!
Flavorful Homemade Seafood Chowder (Gluten Free)
Serves 8Saute in a large pot over medium heat for 4-5 minutes:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
dash salt and pepper
Add, and saute, stirring regularly for 5-7 minutes: (lower the heat a bit, if you're finding it's browning/sticking to the bottom of your pan too much)
1.5 lbs potatoes, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced fennel bulb (I LOVE the flavor this adds)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced OR 1/4 - 1/3 cup garlic scapes, sliced (if in season)
Add and cook an additional 1-2 minutes:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2-3 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (adds spiciness, so use less if you prefer less bite)
3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce (can add extra, if you want more of a kick)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano
I like to saute the vegetables for a longer period in the pan, then they can simmer for less time in order to really bring out the flavors and taste.
Add, then simmer vegetable soup for ~7-8 minutes:
~3 cups water (just until top of veggies)
1 tsp lobster bouillon paste (this really adds a wonderful flavor to your chowder, but you can use a GF chicken bouillon or Asian mushroom seasoning, if needed)
Add to the pot, letting it start to simmer/bubble again while you mix the small bowl of cornstarch and liquids to thicken:
1 cup 10% cream OR whole milk (lactose-free works great)
Mix in a small bowl:
1/4 cup 10% cream OR whole milk
1/4 cup water
2-3 Tbsp cornstarch OR 1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
Once you've mixed the cornstarch together, you want to add it a little at a time to the bubbling soup. Stirring and returning soup to a low boil to adjust thickness after you add each 1-2 Tbsp. I prefer a less thick chowder, but cook and adjust, as you prefer.
Here's the chowder after being thickened a bit. I prefer a just barely thickened creamy soup to the thick chowders sometimes served. In this picture the soup is ready for seafood to be added.
Once you've achieved the desire chowder thickness and returned your soup to a boil over medium-low to medium heat, add the following and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:
2 fillets white fish (cod, haddock, or tilapia), cut in large bite-sized pieces
1-2 fillets salmon, cut in large bite-sized pieces
1-2 large handfuls of fresh shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off), cut in half, if they're large
You can vary up the fish you use, as you prefer - scallops are great, too. I like to use more mild-tasting fish, or they can overpower the other ones.
Taste test the soup at this point to adjust with salt and pepper, as desired. The Old Bay Seasoning has quite a bit of salt, so I usually just add a dash of pepper.
This flavorful seafood chowder is wonderful served alongside garlic bread. A few breads we enjoy eating as garlic bread are: a tasty Gluten Free French Bread-Style Bread, GF white bread, GF naan bread, and homemade GF sourdough bread.
