21 Tried-and-True Chowder Recipes, From Classic to Creative

Perhaps it is only me, but chowder seems like an unlikely concept: a hot, chunky, milky soup. Still, it is a dish I come back to repeatedly, whether it is a beautifully creamy salmon stew eaten beside the Baltic Sea during a long Helsinki summer evening; my seemingly endless bowls of reliably delicious seafood chowder, with the essential chunk of brown bread, on drives along Ireland’s west coast; or corn chowder made in my own kitchen with sweetcorn at its farmers’ market peak. Few dishes are so comforting, filling and deeply satisfying. Here is a collection of favourite chowder recipes, spanning Peru, New England, Manhattan and Ecuador.

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01 of 21: Corn, Crab, and Prawn Chowder

What is not to love about cream, butter, crabmeat and prawns? Andrew Zimmern’s indulgent chowder is transformed by a simple homemade stock, made from ingredients that might otherwise be discarded: corn cobs and prawn shells. It takes only 30 minutes to prepare.

02 of 21: Seafood-and-Seaweed Chowder

Seaweed adds a gentle saline note to this chowder based on mussels, clams and cod. Look for dried kelp or kombu in the international foods section of a nearby supermarket, or buy it online.

03 of 21: Chunky Snapper and Root Vegetable Chowder

For this substantial chowder, Charleston chef Mike Lata uses whichever white fish is freshest, alongside diced celeriac, parsnips, potatoes and turnips. Bacon infuses the creamy broth, while the hearty dish feeds eight in an hour and a half.

04 of 21: Corn Chowder

Who decided chowder belonged only to winter? This creamy, subtly sweet corn chowder has the flavour of sunshine and summer in a bowl. Although it is at its best in the height of the sweetcorn season, fresh or frozen corn means it can be made throughout the year.

05 of 21: Manhattan Clam Chowder

Make way for Manhattan. This clam chowder has a tomato-based broth sharpened with white wine and enriched with bacon fat, making it a worthy contender in the regional chowder rivalry. Lightly crushed baby Yukon Gold potatoes and chopped clam meat give it satisfying substance.

06 of 21: Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

Rich hot-smoked salmon elevates corn chowder, offsetting sweet sautéed corn and floury red potatoes in a bowl you will want to make again. Scrape the milky liquid from the cobs into the chicken stock to deepen the corn flavour.

07 of 21: Frogmore Chowder

Recipe developer Jenni Lata took inspiration from the flavours of Lowcountry Frogmore Stew for this seafood chowder, combining prawns, corn, andouille sausage and baby potatoes. Everything is simmered in seafood stock and finished with cream. Oyster crackers seasoned with Old Bay are an excellent accompaniment.

08 of 21: Prawn and Corn Chowder

Chef, culinary historian and author Maricel Presilla’s Ecuadorian prawn-and-corn chowder was named among Food & Wine’s 40 best recipes in 2018. Its winning creamy consistency comes from grated unripe plantain.

09 of 21: Creamy Prawn, Corn, and Tomato Chowder

Carla Hall’s version of prawn, corn and tomato chowder is as generous in flavour as it is in ingredients: fresh herbs, just-cooked prawns, soft potatoes and, unexpectedly, a tin of creamed corn. The latter thickens and sweetens the broth without relying too heavily on double cream.

10 of 21: Corn Chowder with Bacon and Sea Scallops

Seared scallops and crisp bacon lardons lend this corn chowder a smoky sweetness. As it uses frozen corn, the recipe is intended for year-round cooking.

11 of 21: Smoky Oyster Chowder with Bacon, Rosemary, and Fennel

Chef Dylan Fultineer begins with excellent bacon, sourced from Benton Hams in Tennessee, to create the dish’s remarkable smoky character. He cooks celery, onion and fennel in the rendered bacon fat, then adds crisp bacon pieces later with freshly shucked oysters.

12 of 21: Curry-Coconut Clam Chowder, Papi-Style

At one of his first chef jobs, in a Los Angeles country club, 2010 F&W Best New Chef Roy Choi prepared New England clam chowder every Friday. His take on that classic includes green curry paste, lime juice and coconut milk.

13 of 21: Peruvian Prawn and Corn Chowder

Chupe de camarones, Peru’s prawn-and-corn chowder, contains local potatoes, squash, corn-traditionally still on the cob-and prawns-traditionally still in their shells. Those shells, together with cayenne, paprika, cumin and a dash of Tabasco, give the broth its powerful flavour.

14 of 21: Smoked Trout Chowder

Smoked fish, including trout, haddock or white fish, provides a quick route to a delicious result. After all, it is already cooked and full of flavour. This chowder can be on the table in around half an hour.

15 of 21: Clam Chowder

In this creamy chowder, Emeril Lagasse recreates the rich, comforting flavours of his childhood in Fall River, Massachusetts. With a little cayenne, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Old Bay seasoning, it is a classic interpretation of the New England favourite.

16 of 21: South-west Seafood Chowder

Though he is a native New Englander, chef Steve Sicinski favours a South-western approach to chowder, using ancho chillies to bring layered, satisfying heat. Serve it with a rounded, full-bodied Viognier.

17 of 21: White Fish, Leek, and Celery Chowder with White Beans

For this fresh, lighter chowder, F&W’s Justin Chapple replaces the customary potatoes with beans and uses smoked white fish instead of bacon.

18 of 21: Corn and Cod Chowder

Few things are as satisfying as a rich, creamy bowl of chowder. This smooth corn version, with tender chunks of cod, needs nothing more than a slice of good crusty bread to make a complete meal.

19 of 21: Corn and Prawn Chowder with Mashed Potatoes

Why dice potatoes when they can be mashed instead? A generous spoonful of creamy mashed potato sits at the heart of this corn and prawn chowder, whose flavour is boosted by dill seeds simmered in the broth.

20 of 21: Chicken and Sweet Potato Chowder

Sage, leeks and sweet potatoes give this nourishing chicken chowder its savoury autumnal character. Pair it with a rich, buttery Chardonnay.

21 of 21: Fish-and-Shellfish Chowder

Chef Wade Murphy gives this fish-and-shellfish chowder the full treatment, using the briny cooking liquor from two dozen mussels and 16 littleneck clams, as well as their roughly chopped flesh. He adds the cubed salmon and monkfish only at the end, preventing the fish from overcooking.