Shrimp Chowder

Creamy shrimp chowder is a delicious and comforting meal that’s perfect any day of the week. Shrimp, potatoes, corn, and bacon? Yes please!

Video: Making Shrimp Chowder

What Is A Chowder?

Chowder is a rich and creamy style of soup. In the Northeast United States, seafood chowders are common, the most popular being New England Clam Chowder. In the Southwest, you are more likely to find potato or corn chowder. 

Whatever the main ingredients are, a chowder is usually characterized by a creamy base with milk or heavy cream and ingredients that are left in chunks instead of being pureed smooth, like my Hearty Salmon Chowder recipe. (Of course, Manhattan Clam Chowder has a tomato base instead of cream, but maybe it’s the exception that proves the rule.)

Ingredients And Substitutions

We start to build flavor with bacon, onion, and celery. We are also using garlic and corn. I like to use frozen corn because I always have it on hand, but you can used canned corn if that’s what you have. Use a 15 ounce can and make sure to drain the corn well before adding it in.

The liquid base of the shrimp chowder recipe is made of clam juice and milk, thickened with flour. If you don’t have a bottle of clam juice, you can alternatively use 1 cup of seafood or fish stock. Or, mix together 1 cup of water or vegetable broth with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce or with 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste.

Or, if your shrimp had shells on them, remove the shells before starting this recipe. Then, put the shells into a saucepan with 1 and 1/2 cups of water. Optionally add other ingredients like onion and garlic. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Strain and then use the liquid in the recipe in place of the clam juice.

I use whole milk for the creaminess in this recipe, you can substitute that with 3 cups of fat-free milk and 3 tablespoons of half and half or heavy cream.

For the potatoes in this chowder, I used Russet potatoes. You can use red potatoes or Yukon golds if you like them to hold together more. You’ll want about a pound of potatoes total, no need to peel them first.

The chowder gets seasoned with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and if you like a little heat, red pepper flakes. 

And of course, the most important ingredient, the shrimp…

What Kind Of Shrimp?

I usually have frozen raw shrimp in my freezer at all times for when I need a fast dinner. Here’s how I thaw my shrimp when I need them. I like frozen shrimp because they are frozen quickly after they’re caught, which makes them really fresh when defrosted. You’ll want your shrimp to be medium size, and to be peeled and deveined, whether you’re starting out fresh or frozen. 

If you want to use canned shrimp instead of fresh, you’ll need two 4 ounce cans of shrimp. Don’t drain the shrimp though. Instead, when the recipe instructions say to add the shrimp, you will instead add the canned shrimp along with the juices from the can. Then, reduce the cooking time in that step from 3 minutes to 1 minute since the canned shrimp is already cooked and only needs to heat through. 

Note that you can use a mixture of fresh and canned shrimp: 1/2 pound of fresh shrimp and one can of shrimp. Add the fresh shrimp when it’s called for in the recipe, and then add the can of shrimp with its juices 2 minutes later.

How To Make Shrimp Chowder

Start by grabbing a large pot or Dutch oven and putting it on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook the chopped strips of bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally. Leave the bacon fat in the pot, and add onion and celery to the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the corn and the garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds.

Sprinkle on the flour and stir to evenly disperse it. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Then, while continuing to stir, slowly pour in the clam juice. While continuing to stir, add the milk. Then add the potatoes, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes, if using.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often. Immediately reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes.

Because this chowder contains milk, you need to be careful to not let it fully boil or else it will curdle. Bring it up to a gentle simmer and then turn the heat down to low. Stir the chowder often. If it does curdle though, it is still safe to eat.

Stir in the shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are opaque and pink, about 3-4 minutes. Taste and add more seasonings, if desired.

Ladle the shrimp chowder into soup bowls and serve with hot sauce and oyster crackers.

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Podcast Episode: Making Shrimp Chowder