Dairy Farmers of Canada

Classic Seafood Chowder Recipe with Milk

Our dietitians' favourite

Reel in the catch of the day and serve up a comforting bowl of classic seafood clam chowder. Elevate the recipe with your favourite fish or shellfish and enjoy! This recipe is taken from the 2010 Milk Calendar.

  • Prep: 5 min - 10 min
  • Cooking: 20 min - 25 min
Yields 4 - 6 servings
Seafood chowder with fish, shrimp and clams
This video introduces a colourful version of classic seafood chowder that is sure to impress your guests. Delicious seafood and fish make this an exceptional dish. Why wait for a special occasion when you can enjoy some today?

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) dried dill or dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced
  • 2 cups (500 mL) water or fish stock
  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (750 mL) Milk
  • 2 cups (500 mL) chopped raw skinless fish fillets or cooked seafood (shrimp, lobster, scallops, crab, clams, oysters) or a combination
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Whole grain crackers crumbled
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Preparation

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat; sauté celery, onion, bay leaf, dill, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper for about 5 min or until onions start to brown. Stir in potatoes; sauté for 2 min.

Increase heat to medium-high; stir in water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and boil for about 5 min or until potatoes are almost tender.

Whisk flour into milk and stir into pot; bring to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in fish or seafood; simmer, stirring often for 5 min or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork or seafood is hot. Discard bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with crumbled crackers.

Tips

Add up to 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped carrots, red bell pepper or corn kernels with onion for extra colour and nutrition.

Turn this into chicken chowder: replace dill with thyme and stir in 2 cups (500 mL) diced cooked chicken in place of fish.

 For the Adventurous: Omit butter and add 3 slices bacon, chopped, and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) hot pepper flakes with onion.

Add 2 lbs (1 kg) scrubbed mussels or clams in the shell in place of the fish and cook until shells have opened. Discard any that do not open.

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Nutritional information

Per serving
Energy: 266 Calories
Protein: 19 g
Carbohydrate: 38 g
Fat: 5 g
Fibre: 4.1 g
Sodium: 290 mg

Top 5 Nutrients

(% DV*)
Calcium: 20 % / 221 mg
Folate: 36 %
Vitamin B12: 195 %
Vitamin C: 50 %
Zinc: 34 %