On my quest to find more Irish dishes besides the corned beef and cabbage gig, I pondered what else would the Irish make? Well, there is a LOT of ocean around Ireland, so they must have seafood, yes? I googled Irish Seafood and a small school of Irish Seafood Chowder recipes surfaced. That made me smile. I love a good seafood chowder.
I studied several of them, gleaned the main ingredients, and began making my version of an Irish chowder. They say you can use any kind of seafood–I chose shrimp, salmon and crab. I saw some included mussels, but that is not something we have available to us in this land-locked place I call home. I had to resort to frozen or canned seafood, but if you have fresh available to you, oh yes, use fresh seafood.
This chowder is hearty and rich, thick and creamy. The crab meat melts into the broth and thickens it. I added tarragon and thyme for a bit more flavor. Not sure if the Irish would do that, but I’ve seen tarragon in other recipes, so I figure it might sneak into the seafood chowder.
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Irish Seafood Chowder
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: About 2 1/2 quarts of chowder 1x
Ingredients
- 2 slices lean nitrate-free bacon
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek, rinsed and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled & chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups)
- 2 cups fish broth or clam juice or 2 cups water + 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 cups low fat milk
- 1/2 lb. salmon, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 lb. shrimp, tails removed
- 1 6-oz. can crabmeat, drained
- 1 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
Instructions
- In a nonstick soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat, then remove it from the pan and set aside.
- Add the olive oil, leek, celery, carrots and garlic to the pan and saute until the celery is tender. While the veggies are cooking, chop the bacon.
- Add the potatoes, broth and bay leaf to the pot and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Take about 2 cups of the hot soup and put it in a blender with the Greek cream cheese, cornstarch and 1 cup of milk. Blend until smooth and pour the milk mixture back into the pot. Add the rest of the milk to the pot as well.
- Stir in the salmon, shrimp, crabmeat, chopped bacon and seasonings, reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 5 minutes longer until the shrimp is pink and the salmon is done. Do NOT allow the chowder to boil! Add salt & freshly ground pepper to taste and a pinch of cayenne or chipotle powder if you desire a little tingle on your tongue. Stir in a bit more milk if you feel the chowder is too thick. Keep the on the stove on low heat until serving time.
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
© Copyright 2016, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
This recipe was shared at Gluten Free Friday, Full Plate Thursday, Let’s Get Real Friday, Weekend Retreat, Sunday Fitness and Food Linkup and Pretty Pintastic Pinterest Party.
58 comments
This loos Fabulous! I have been researching & cooking a few different Irish dishes this week, as well, so this really caught my attention! Seafood instead of Beef…and I love a good chowder! Stumbled & Pinned! Would love for you to share at the Sunday Fitness & Food Link-up at: http://www.marathonsandmotivation.com
Thank you so much, Angela! I need to check out your Irish dishes … and thanks for the invite! I’ll be over. 🙂
In this house full of seafood lovers, this chowder is a must-try! Pinning!
Hurrah! Thank you so much, Julia 🙂
Recipe as posted above at this writing doesn’t address if using bacon drippings AND olive oil…where other 2 cups of the 3 cups of milk are added…where chopped bacon comes back into play. Some cooks can guess…others need specifics. Thanks!!
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your comment!
I used very lean bacon so there weren’t many bacon drippings left in the pan, so yes, I did use both olive oil and bacon drippings. If your bacon is higher in fat, drain off some of the bacon fat before adding olive oil — or leave out the olive oil.
Add the chopped bacon in with the shrimp. I updated the recipe to make this more clear. Please let me know if anything else needs clarifying! I very much appreciate your help in refining this recipe.
Take care,
Ann
And the other 2 cups of milk….? Thx for clarifying the other 2 items…
Your Irish Seafood Chowder will sure be a hit with our Irish family!Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again soon!
Miz Helen
Can’t wait to try this Ann, I adore fish soups and this one looks positively divine ♥ Dor
Thank you, Dor! I think you’re going to love it.
[…] but seriously, what kind of person doesn’t like SOUP? A good creamy seafood chowder, a spicy, meaty chili, a funky gypsy stew, a creamy tomato soup or hearty taco soup … or how […]
I returned from a trip to Ireland craving seafood chowder and soda bread. I made this exactly per your directions, my friends said it was the best seafood chowder they’d ever eaten. It was just as delicious as the chowder I had in Ireland. Thanks for sharing!
Alice you totally made my day … this kind of comment makes it all worth it. Thank you so much. I am so glad my chowder was just the thing for you. <3
[…] #14: Irish Seafood Chowder […]
Do you cook salmon and shrimp before adding this to the stew? Recipe looks amazing!
Hi Mark,
I believe I used pre-cooked frozen shrimp, but no, I didn’t cook the salmon before adding it to the pot. It cooks really quickly in the hot soup. It’s a fabulous recipe … I hope you try it!
Thanks
Ann
Looks delicious, can you make it ahead of time and put it in a crock pot for party?
Thanks!
Hi Nicki,
If you’re going to make it ahead, I would make it up to the point where you add the seafood (so stop right before step 4). Add the seafood after you warm up the soup for the party and make sure to keep your crockpot on “warm” only so you don’t overcook the seafood.
Good luck with your party!
Thanks,
Ann
Wish I knew when to add the other two cups of milk !!??!!
Hi Carol,
Thank you so much for pointing that out! Just add the rest of the milk in step 3. I’ve updated the directions to make that clear.
Good luck with the soup,
Ann
I made this tonight. I added a little butter when cooking the veggies, used a can of Irish beer and half and half instead of the milk, and added some grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese at the end. It is the most amazing soup/chowder I’ve ever tasted! Thanks so much for sharing this! I’m Irish and am always looking for recipes other than the standard cabbage including ones.
Oh that makes me soooo happy, Martha! You totally made my day. Thanks for sharing your tweaks. 🙂
[…] Irish Seafood Chowder […]
This chowder is AMAZING!
Thank you so much, Kelly! It makes me so happy to hear that.
Okay, this is definitely the very best seafood chowder of all time! I have been looking for a recipe that could capture the Irish seafood chowder we had at Nova Scotia’s Wild Caraway restaurant. Not too heavy, but full of flavour that is topped with tarragon. This recipe blows theirs out of the water! Out of the Ocean!!! Wow, thank you so much for this! I have passed it on to others, and am just in the midst of making it again tonight. Wow, wow, wow! (and I have been to Ireland too, and this recipe is just bang on!
Oh my gosh, Jen, you totally made my day! When I made my chowder, I had no idea if it was authentic because I’ve never been to Ireland. I was just taking my best guess. Thank you so so very much for your comment.
Fantastic recipe! Here are some tweaks that I hope are helpful:
Used 2 Leeks, I love that flavor. And I used fresh Tarragon, the recipe doesn’t specifically call for it.
Didn’t need the cornstarch as 4 potatoes plus the cream cheese thickened it up completely! Smooth and creamy. I also didn’t need the blender, just add the cream cheese in tablespoon size chunks and it melts away.
I used mussels instead of crab. Separately cooked the mussels in white wine and fresh tarragon. When done discard any unopened ones and put the rest aside. Add them back into the soup after the shrimp and salmon are close to done. I also removed them from their shells since 25% fell out anyway. But if you’re trying to impress your guests, leave the shells!
I saw the adjustment about using beer and half and half, and Irish cheddar – I’ll be trying that too!
But as it stands, this is an amazing set of flavors, family loved it and my daughter is a pro chef. She liked it so much, its agreed that it will be part of Christmas dinner (18-20 guests).
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Wow! Easy to make and delicious. But since it is only me, can you safely freeze in single serve containers?
I haven’t tried freezing this soup, Ruth, so I’m not sure how well it would freeze. However, I’ve found an awesome way to preserve soups in my fridge, but keep in mind this is not FDA-approved so I make no recommendations as to how safe it is. If you have the soup nice and hot, almost boiling, then pour it into clean, sterile pint jars. Wipe the edges of the jar clean, add a clean sterile lid and fasten it on tightly. Let cool before setting it into the fridge. If it seals (and most of the time for me, it does), then in my experience, it will last a month or more when stored in your fridge. You can remove the rim whilst storing in the fridge. Again, no guarantees!
Thanks for the idea. I am not familiar with canning so I took a bowlful to my neighbors in quarantine. They are still raving about it!
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When we traveled in Ireland a few years ago, we just loved the seafood chowder. It’s like tacos in Texas – almost every restaurant has it. They are all slightly different but all creamy and delicious. So happy my Google search hit on this recipe as it really is yummy and very much like the chowders we had in Ireland. I must now learn to make some of that yummy Irish gluten free bread we had everywhere!
Omg, so delicious!! I will definitely make again. Only modifications were I skipped the bacon (for Lent on Friday), and did 1/2 the potatoes (watching carbs). Super yummy. I think I may try it with another fish, such as Monkfish just for variety, but truly a great recipe!!
★★★★★
I’m sooooo happy you liked it, Laura! Thanks for sharing your modifications, too.
[…] The Irish Seafood Chowder contains salmon, shrimp, and crab as the protein. Potatoes, vegetables, and other spices are also added in. This recipe was created by Sumptuous Spoonfuls. […]
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Potatoes and carrots definitely needed to have been cooked more. Next time I will also leave out the corn. Other than that I liked the flavor. Thanks! I will make this again.
Hi Daniela,
Thanks for your kind comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the chowder, but I’m a little confused … this recipe doesn’t have any corn in it? Did you mean cornstarch?
I did want to mention that the potatoes and carrots will cook faster if you cut them smaller. Or you could just cook them longer, like you said.
Thanks again,
Ann
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Omg….this is a phenominal recipe!!! All the ingredients work so perfectly together. Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
I’m so happy! Thanks for posting your comment, Mrs. Butler. <3
~ Ann
[…] This chowder is hearty and rich, thick and creamy. The crab meat melts into the broth and thickens it. Readers say it's the best seafood chowder they've ever tasted! View this Recipe […]
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This looks so good, Ann, pinning to make during Ramadan. Thank you for sharing.
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I just returned from a vacation in Northern Ireland and wanted to replicate the delicious seafood chowder we had there. This recipe is IT! I read through all comments and used some of the variations. I sautéed the veggies in bacon fat, not olive oil. I used clam juice, Neufchâtel and Half & Half. I skipped the cornstarch. And I added 1 can chopped clams. It’s delicious!
★★★★★
Yay! That makes me so happy, Mrs. Byrne. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
~ Ann
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