Seafood Wild Rice Chowder: MN in a bowl

This creamy good seafood wild rice chowder is loaded with seafood, vegetables, real Minnesota wild rice and laced with tarragon and thyme. The wild rice provides a lovely bit of chewy texture. All together the ingredients provide a delightful cozy soup that I just can’t get enough of!

Since I stumbled upon some wild rice in my cupboard that I’d forgotten I had, I’ve made this soup three times. The first time I made it for my parents for lunch before we installed a new light fixture in our kitchen.

I figured I needed to feed them well because we needed my dad’s help. I wanted him to supervise as we did the actual work. But he ended up standing on the island right along with me as we struggled with the wiring. I even gave them some soup to take home with them, too, because that job was a bugger!

After I sent that soup home with mom and dad, there wasn’t much left for me from that initial batch of soup. But I was so smitten with it I just HAD to make it again. I ate most of that second batch, but never got around to photographing it and the last bit spoiled in the fridge. Drat! So once more I’m making this soup so I can share it with you, my lovely foodie friends. And of course, so I won’t forget the recipe because it is SO divine. At least it is to me.

I based this recipe on my popular Irish Seafood Chowder. But I added a little Minnesota twist to it, throwing in some Native American wild rice.

What veggies do I use in Seafood Wild Rice Chowder?

The recipe is very versatile and forgiving. I used different vegetables every time I made this soup. Onion, carrots and celery are a must regardless, but you can swap out the others for what you have on hand.

The first time I used cauliflower and butternut squash along with a few radishes. Then the second time I used cauliflower, sweet corn, zucchini and sweet bell peppers. Finally, this time I used cabbage, sweet bell peppers and sweet corn.

The recipe as written is very veggie heavy, with not a lot of broth. You can always add more broth and use fewer veggies if you want more of that lovely seafood broth flavor. Add a little more fish sauce then as well, to up the umami flavor.

What kind of seafood to use?

Minnesota isn’t known for its seafood, but we have lots of FISH! So of course you can make this a fish chowder using walleye, silver bass, northern or perch – or whatever fish you have on hand. Just make sure it’s boneless because nobody wants fish bones in their soup, right?

When I was little, we used to go on fishing trips with my mom and dad. Back then, I just LOVED to fish. My dad cooked up many a pot of fish chowder using the fish we caught. Especially on rainy days when we were camping and we needed something HOT to warm our bones. This soup brings back a lot of fond memories of those days.

Now, as an adult, I like to add a can of crab meat and some chopped frozen shrimp. Or little bay scallops. My taste buds have grown up and I’ve come to love many forms of seafood.

What is wild rice? Can I substitute regular rice?

Wild rice is not actually rice at all. It’s actually a grass grown mainly in Minnesota and Canada and harvested by hand. Wild rice also has fewer calories and more protein than brown rice. But wild rice can be expensive, so you can absolutely substitute brown rice or another rice for the wild rice in this recipe.

If you’re lucky enough to have wild rice on hand, here’s a handy guide on how to cook it.

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