Irish Seafood Chowder
Irish Seafood Chowder is a creamy, hearty soup made with a rich blend of fresh seafood like salmon, white fish, and shrimp, combined with tender veggies and herbs. This comforting dish uses butter and half and half, offering a taste of the sea with a velvety texture and savory depth.
Best Seafood Chowder
We celebrated 35 years of marriage in beautiful Ireland in July/August of 2024. During our time there, we ordered seafood chowder eight times (at eight different restaurants) and proceeded to rank them. So I thought it only fitting that we recreate our own version of chowder, incorporating our favorite ingredients from our time in the beautiful countryside of Ireland.
Not only did we enjoy seafood chowder, we ate plenty of fresh seafood like monkfish, hake, trout, scallops, and sea bass. We also tried some other traditional Irish foods like meat pie, fisherman’s pie, and a traditional Irish breakfast, including black and white pudding (that’s actually sausage).
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE – This recipe requires some chopping but can still be made in around one hour. I recommend prepping the veggies and seafood ahead of time for weeknight meals.
- COMFORTING – This creamy chowder is super comforting and best enjoyed on chilly days and nights!
- FULL OF FLAVOR – If you are a fan of seafood, you’ll love the combination of a creamy base, plenty of veggies, and tender seafood. We also use seafood broth for extra flavor.
- REMINDS US OF IRELAND – Since we enjoyed seafood chowder eight of the 14 days we were in Ireland, this Irish chowder reminds us of our anniversary trip. An amazing holiday we won’t ever forget!
As a side note, we rated the chowder during our time in Ireland and noted a few that were especially delicious. I may be biased, but I think this one ranks pretty high too. 😀
What You’ll Need:
- Unsalted Butter – or salted butter is fine too
- Veggies – russet potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic
- All-purpose Flour – to help thicken the base
- Seasonings – salt, pepper, dried thyme, red pepper flakes
- Seafood Stock – If you don’t have seafood stock, you could use vegetable stock or chicken broth instead.
- Half and Half – You could also use heavy cream for a more indulgent soup.
- Seafood – white fish (we used sea bass), salmon, shrimp
How to make Irish Seafood Chowder:
Step 1
Prep veggies. Peel the russet potatoes and carrots. Then dice the onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into small pieces. Peel and mince the garlic.
Step 2
Prep fish. If the fish has skin on it, use a sharp knife to remove it. Chop it into cubes. Peel and devein the shrimp, if needed. Remove shrimp tails and cut in half.
Step 3
Sauté veggies. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add the diced veggies. Cook veggies until slightly softened, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Step 4
Add flour and seasonings. Then add the flour and seasonings (salt, pepper, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes) to the pot and stir constantly for a minute or two, or until flour is fully absorbed.
Step 5
Add broth and half and half. Pour in liquid ingredients – the seafood broth and half and half. Stir well and turn heat up to medium-high (until boiling). Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook mixture until thickened, about 6-7 minutes.
Step 6
Add seafood. Add the chopped seafood to the pot and stir well. Let cook for 3-5 minutes or until seafood is JUST DONE.
NOTE: The seafood is done when the white fish and salmon flake easily with a fork. The shrimp should be pink when done. Be careful to avoid over-cooking the seafood.
Step 7
Serve chowder. Serve seafood chowder with extra black pepper, some sliced bread, and sides of your choice. You could also add some fresh dill, parsley, or chives to serve.
While in Ireland, our seafood chowder was served with brown bread (that was normally a bit dry). We’d rather enjoy some of our favorite bread recipes like one of the following.
- Chewy French Bread – Our “bread for soup” recipe that we keep in the freezer.
- Italian Herb Bread – One of our Italian recipes that makes a great pairing with soups, stews, and chowders.
- Multigrain Bread Recipe – While we love this bread toasted for breakfast, it also goes well with seafood chowder.
Storing and Reheating:
- Let the chowder cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We also like to add leftover soup to individual mugs for meal prep.
- Gently reheat over low heat, avoiding boiling to prevent the seafood from becoming tough.
Recipe FAQs:
You can use a variety of fish in chowder, like cod, haddock, pollock, halibut, salmon, trout, monkfish, or sea bass (among others).
Try a variety of shellfish, like clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, lobster, or crab. You can also use other seafood like squid, calamari, or oysters.
Yes, we like mixing (any) white fish, salmon, and shrimp in this chowder for added texture and flavor. Just make sure the fish is cubed in about the same size for even cooking.
Yes, you can use frozen seafood, but you should thaw it before using in chowder.
Seafood chowder is most popular in coastal regions where fresh seafood is abundant, like Ireland, New England (Massachusetts and Maine), Canada (Atlantic Provinces), Scotland, France, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordic Countries.
Other Delicious Creamy Soups:
These are a few of our favorite creamy soups for you to try next.
xoxo ~Sue
Irish Seafood Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
** Read entire blog post for tips and tricks, recipe faqs, and step-by-step photos.
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion – diced
- 1 cup carrots – peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup celery – diced
- 2 cups russet potato – peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes – or more for additional heat
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups seafood stock
- 2 cups half and half
- 1/2 pound salmon – cut into chunks
- 1/2 pound white fish (sea bass, cod, halibut, tilapia) – cut into chunks
- 1/2 pound shrimp – peel, deveined, and chopped
- chopped cilantro or green onions – to serve
Instructions
- Prep veggies. Peel the russet potatoes and carrots. Then dice the onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into small pieces. Peel and mince the garlic.
- Prep fish. If the fish has skin on it, use a sharp knife to remove it. Chop it into cubes. Peel and devein the shrimp, if needed. Remove shrimp tails and cut in half.
- Sauté veggies. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add the diced veggies. Cook veggies until slightly softened, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add flour and seasonings. Then add the flour and seasonings to the pot and stir constantly for a minute or two, or until flour is fully absorbed.
- Add broth and half and half. Pour in liquid ingredients – the seafood broth and half and half. Stir well and turn heat up to medium-high (until boiling). Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook mixture until thickened, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add seafood. Add the chopped seafood to the pot and stir well. Let cook for 3-5 minutes or until seafood is JUST DONE.NOTE: The seafood is done when the white fish and salmon flake easily with a fork. The shrimp should be pink when done. Be careful to avoid over-cooking the seafood.
- Serve chowder. Serve seafood chowder with extra black pepper, some sliced bread, and sides of your choice. You could also add some fresh dill, parsley, or chives to serve.
Notes
- Let the chowder cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We also like to add leftover soup to individual mugs for meal prep.
- Gently reheat over low heat, avoiding boiling to prevent the seafood from becoming tough.