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Home Fish Recipes

Fish Chowder Soup

By:Nagi
Published:15 Apr '19Updated:26 Mar '21
111 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Fish Chowder is such a great easy fish recipe that’s can’t-stop-eating-it good! A thick and hearty creamy white fish soup, I adore this combination of tender potatoes, carrots, sweet corn and peas with big flakes of fish.

A wonderful fish recipe for Easter – or anytime! Just imagine that moment when you dunk in a hunk of warm crusty bread…..

Fish Chowder Soup in a bowl, ready to be eaten

Fish Chowder Soup

This is really just a Fish Soup but I like to call it a “chowder” because the immature child within believes it sounds a heck of a lot more interesting to say “we’re having Fish Chowder for dinner tonight” rather than just “fish soup”.

Who’s with me on this? 😂

Well, whatever we think this should be called, it doesn’t matter! What matters is that it’s utterly delicious, and I think it’s a great easy fish recipe that’s a little different to the usual pan frying or baked fish recipes that can be made with many types of fish.

Ladling Fish Chowder Soup out of pot, fresh off the stove

Best fish for fish chowder

“Meaty” firm types of fish are ideal for fish chowder, such as: Snapper, barramundi, tilapia, basa*, cod, ling, monkfish, marlin, latchet (gurnard), leatherjacket, Spanish mackerel, shark (flake), salmon.

Avoid delicate fish such as whiting, garfish, John Dory, flat fish (flounder, sole) and flathead as they tend to fall apart in soup.

Avoid lean fish like Swordfish, tuna, kingfish, normal mackerel. These tend to be a bit dry unless cooked with care if it’s not the super fatty bit like the belly which is hard to get outside of Japan! So best not used in soup.

* Popular economical fish in Australia, this is actually a type of catfish found in South East Asia.

I’m using Barramundi fillets, a popular fish here in Australia. I like how big and meaty the fillets are – 1 fillet usually weighs around 300 – 400g (10 – 14 oz).

Barramundi Fillets - raw

What goes in Fish Chowder

Pretty straight forward list of ingredients (notes below):

Fish Chowder Soup ingredients

Just some notes on a few of the items:

  • Wine – optional, but it does add that little extra something something to the soup broth. It’s pretty traditional to use white wine in a seafood broth base. Can be skipped.

  • Vegetables – feel free to switch with vegetables of choice, just add them according to the cook time. Potato and broccoli is great (it basically ends up looking like Potato Broccoli Soup with fish in it), or try Corn Chowder type soup with fish added. Anything goes here!

  • Best broth for fish chowder – in order of preference:

    • homemade fish stock – reserved for special occasions around these parts!

    • high quality store bought fish stock ie not standard supermarket brands like Campbells. Read: pricey!

    • clam juice – US product, not sold in Australia, hope it comes to our shores!

    • chicken broth /stock – yes really, try it and be amazed how good it is in this recipe. This is what I use for everyday purposes – and it’s how this recipe is made.

Just to be clear, there is no denying that the best seafood soups are made with homemade seafood broths and any respectable seafood restaurant will use house-made broths. But there’s also no denying that it’s not practical for most people to manhandle giant cauldrons of fish heads on any given night, and that’s the basis on which I give my recommendations!


How to make it

Chowder is a great straightforward recipe – sauté onion and garlic, deglaze the pot with white wine, add flour to make a sludge then basically tip everything else in.

The broth for Fish Chowder is thickened with the flour – no need for cream unless you want to add richness (I do not miss it).

I used to sear the fish first before making the broth, believing that this gave an overall better flavour. But actually, for fish soups, I think it’s best to just plonk the uncooked fish straight into the broth so all the fish juices leech into the soup as it poaches.

How to make Fish Chowder Soup

If you’ve been around since Easter of last year, you’d be forgiven for thinking the ingredients in this recipe are somewhat familiar. In fact kudos to you for picking it up! Because this Fish Chowder is in fact pretty much my favourite Easter Fish Pie – in soup form. 🙂

Try this soup with Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread…. wait until you SEE it in the video below. Makes my knees weak every single time!! Otherwise, try one of these:

Soup Dunkers

Close up of crispy crust of world's easiest yeast bread
World’s Easiest Yeast Bread recipe – Artisan, NO KNEAD crusty bread
Cheese stretch picking up piece of Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread
Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread
Close up of sandwich bread without yeast
Sandwich Bread WITHOUT yeast
Better than Pizza Hut! For a truly religious Garlic Bread experience, skip the artisan bread and use a basic French stick. And no skimping on butter! recipetineats.com
Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread
Close up of slice of Irish Soda Bread (no yeast bread)
World’s best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread
Close up photo of a stack of Savoury Cheese Muffins
Savoury Cheese Muffins
Close up of a piece of Cornbread with butter and honey
Cornbread recipe
No Knead Soft Dinner Rolls fresh out of the oven, ready to be eaten
Breads

– Nagi x

Bread being dunked into Fish Chowder Soup

Watch how to make it

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Ladling Fish Chowder Soup out of pot, fresh off the stove

Fish Chowder Soup

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Soup
Western
4.88 from 33 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Fish Chowder is such a great easy fish recipe that's can't-stop-eating-it good! A thick and hearty creamy white fish soup, I adore this combination of tender potatoes, carrots, sweet corn and peas with big flakes of fish.

Ingredients

  • 40g / 3 tbsp butter , unsalted
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 small onion , finely chopped
  • 2 small carrots , halved, cut into 0.5cm / 1/5" slices
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine (can skip)
  • 1/4 cup (35g) flour (plain / all purpose)
  • 3 cups (750 ml) milk , any fat %
  • 2 cups (500 ml) fish stock, clam juice OR chicken stock, preferably low sodium (Note 1)
  • 2 cups potato , 1.5 cm/ 0.5" cubes (~1 large potato)
  • 1 cup corn , frozen or canned (drained)
  • 0.5 tsp salt , plus more to taste
  • Finely ground black pepper
  • 600 g/1.2 lb white fish fillets , skinless, cut into 2cm / 4/5" pieces (Note 2)
  • 1 cup peas , frozen

Garnish/serving (optional):

  • 1/4 cup green onions , halved and finely sliced (garnish)
  • Crusty bread for dunking

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
  • Add garlic and onion, cook for 5 minutes until translucent but not golden.
  • Add carrots and stir through.
  • Turn heat up to high and add wine. Stir then let it simmer rapidly until it's mostly evaporated.
  • Add flour and stir for 30 seconds - it will become sludgy!
  • Slow pour in broth while stirring to dissolve paste, then stir in milk.
  • Add potato, corn, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer then turn heat down so it's simmering gently.
  • Cook, stirring every now and then, for 8 minutes or until potato is almost cooked.
  • Add fish and peas, simmer for 3 minutes or until fish is just cooked (should flake easily).
  • Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If soup is too thick, add a touch of water or milk.
  • Serve, garnished with green onions and crusty bread on the side for dunking!

Recipe Notes:

1. Broth / liquid stock - in order of preference:
a) first choice is homemade or good quality store bought fish stock (I avoid standard supermarket fish stock like Campbell's, good fish stock is sold at fish shops)
b) clam juice (not sold in Australia, it's in the US and Canada. Great for seafood soups, pastas, etc, way better than supermarket fish stock)
c) chicken broth - this is what I use for everyday purposes, you still get GREAT flavour in the soup from the fish that is poached in the broth. 
This is not a soup suitable to make with stock cubes or bouillon powder - you really need to buy or make a liquid stock.
2. Fish - this is ideal made with "meaty" firm fish such as: Snapper, barramundi, tilapia, basa, cod, ling, monkfish, marlin, latchet (gurnard), leatherjacket, Spanish mackerel, shark (flake), salmon.
Avoid delicate fish such as whiting, garfish, John Dory, flat fish (flounder, sole) and flathead as they tend to fall apart in soup.
Avoid lean fish like Swordfish, tuna, kingfish, normal mackerel. These tend to be a bit dry unless cooked with care if it’s not the super fatty bit like the belly which is hard to get outside of Japan! So best not used in soup.
3. Nutrition per serving (meal size bowl!)

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 418cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 39g (13%)Protein: 37g (74%)Fat: 10g (15%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 68mg (23%)Sodium: 431mg (19%)Potassium: 1419mg (41%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Vitamin A: 5035IU (101%)Vitamin C: 29.2mg (35%)Calcium: 273mg (27%)Iron: 4.3mg (24%)
Keywords: Fish chowder, Fish soup
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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Life of Dozer

Dozer! I said FISH chowder, not PELICAN chowder!!!

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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111 Comments

  1. Judy nelson says

    April 23, 2021 at 3:12 am

    I’m allergic to milk products but adore fish chowder. Do you think this could work without milk? I do use butter—life would be unacceptable without it!😄

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 23, 2021 at 12:21 pm

      Hi Judy, milk is a key ingredient in this recipe sorry, you could sub with a nut or oat milk though if you prefer. N x

      Reply
  2. Shaun Stow says

    March 18, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    I had no fresh fish stock and could only get the Campbell’s which you strongly suggested against. I went to the Asian grocery store near me and purchased instant powdered anchovy dashida. Result was amazing. 3 teaspoons was just right.
    Will definitely add to make again list.

    Reply
  3. Grace says

    March 16, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious and quick! I didn’t think my 2 year old would like it either but I ended up giving his own bowl. We used chicken stock and it was superb. Thanks Nagi for feeding our family!

    Reply
  4. valerie white90 says

    February 17, 2021 at 12:28 am

    in the fish chowder recipe What can I use instead of wine?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 17, 2021 at 12:17 pm

      Hi Valerie, just skip as per the note nest to the ingredients. N x

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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