Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

This Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is the recipe I’m most proud of.

Being from Nova Scotia, loving and making Seafood Chowder is basically a birthright. If anyone asked me to create a recipe to show where I’m from and who I am, this would be it! This my personal take on good ol Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder. 

Hint: white wine and fresh fennel play a fairly large role!

This Seafood Chowder is not your everyday meal. It’s uber rich, creamy and luxurious. This is a treat yourself recipe, not a calorie counting recipe. Even though I live in California, a bowl of this always brings me home to Nova Scotia.

Every Christmas Eve my parents would whip up a massive pot of Seafood Chowder and host an all-day/night drop-in. Our neighbors, family, and friends would stop by for a bowl of creamy Seafood Chowder, a few laughs, and a cocktail (or 3). This dish brings back so many great memories from my childhood. Fast forward many years later, and now I’m making my chowder for the holidays (and my birthday!) every year like clockwork.

What you’ll need to make Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder:

• thick cut bacon 
• leeks 
• shallots 
• fennel 
• celery 
• carrots
• garlic
• potato – red is ideal
• dry white wine 
• 1 bay leaf
• fresh thyme
• clam juice 
• fish or seafood stock
• half + half
• heavy cream
• butter
• all-purpose flour
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• scallops 
• shrimp 
• white fish
• tinned clams 

Bar Harbour brand is what I use for clams, clam juice, and fish/seafood stock.

Looking for more cozy soup recipes? Take a peek at the ones below!

• Cream of Celery and Leek Soup
• Penicillin Soup
• Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Roasted Squash and Root Vegetable Soup
• Cream of Mushroom Soup
• French Onion Soup

Sacha Hirschfeld

Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

An ode to a childhood Christmas Eve tradition! This rich and indulgent chowder is loaded with plump seafood and intended for special, celebratory occasions.

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Prep Time 13 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 58 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Soups

Cuisine: Canadian, Nova-Scotian

Calories: 748

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• ½ lb bacon cut into 1″ pieces
• 3 cups leeks trimmed, halved, and sliced
• 1 cup shallots halved and sliced
• 1 head of fennel fronds reserved, finely diced
• ¾ cup celery finely diced
• ⅔ cup carrots finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• ½ lb red potatoes diced
• 1 cup dry white wine I use sauvignon blanc
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups clam juice 2 bottles
• 3½ cups fish stock 2 cans
• 3 cups half + half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb scallops side muscle removed
• 1 lb shrimp shells removed and deveined
• ¾ lb white fish I used Halibut
• 184 g chopped clams 1 small tin

Equipment

• 1 large Dutch oven or soup pot
• 1 small pot
• 1 chefs knife
• 1 cutting board
• 1 vegetable peeler
• 1 can opener
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 soup ladle
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• 1 paring knife

Method

 

1. Rub the butter into the flour. Pour the half + half and heavy cream into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once cream is warm, whisk in butter/flour mix. Turn heat down to low.
2. Add bacon to a large heavy-bottomed pot over med-high heat. Sauté until it's brown and crispy, stirring occasionally. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel lined plate or bowl.
3. Add shallot, leek, celery, carrot, fennel, and garlic to the bacon fat; cook until soft and translucent. Add a little black pepper.
4. Increase the heat to high, add the wine and reduce.
5. Add the fish stock and clam juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes, bacon, thyme, and bay leaf; cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add in all seafood and then stir in the warm cream. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until potatoes and seafood are cooked through.
8. Season to taste. Serve with a sprinkling of fennel fronds and a drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil (I used a chili oil).