This Fish Chowder is my Dad’s recipe, and the real deal creamy New England version, made simply with cod (or another whitefish), potatoes, and onions, and a base of clam juice, milk, and cream. The key to perfect fish chowder is poaching the fish gently so it perfectly flakes apart. This recipe enhances the flavor by scalding the milk with onion, to infuse the onion flavor throughout, with a wonderful blend of herbs and spices. You’re going to love this easy fish soup recipe!
My dad came to visit last week, and lucky for me, he made his famous fish chowder! I was able to snap some photos and work with him to document his secrets, which I’m sharing with you in this post.
This New England Fish Chowder is the REAL DEAL. Creamy, rich, and quite simple. At its base are just fish, potatoes, and onions. But this fish chowder is made extra delicious with a few secrets:
- The addition of choice herbs and spices (bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg, and chives)
- Using onion-infused scalded milk (way easier to make than it sounds, I promise)
- A simple technique of gently poaching the fish so the flakes stay intact and meaty, meltingly tender, and not overcooked.
I can’t wait to share this family recipe with you, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and as much as I have since childhood!
Ingredients in Fish Chowder (and Substitutions)
- Cod – or another whitefish such as tilapia, haddock, snapper, monkfish, etc. See FAQs below for more on this.
- Potatoes – any will do. I used red.
- Onions – yellow is best. White will also work.
- Clam juice – you can omit this and just add extra water or milk (and salt) instead.
- Whole milk – this will be scalded – you can use half the amount of evaporated milk as a substitute.
- Heavy Cream – half and half will work in a pinch but heavy cream is best
- Spices: Thyme, bay leaves, ground nutmeg, and fresh chives – any of these can be omitted if you like, but the flavor combination is really amazing!
- Butter and olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to make New England Fish Chowder
First, sauté the onion in butter and olive oil. Be careful not to brown them – just sweat them over medium or medium-low heat. Add water, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot, and bring to a boil. Gently place the fish in the boiling water.
Poach the fish until it is just flaked apart – keep an eye on it, as this will happen quickly! Use a slotted spoon to transfer fish to a rimmed baking sheet or plate with lip. As soon as it’s cool to the touch, flake it apart with your hands (but don’t over-flake it!). Set aside.
Add the clam juice and potatoes to the pot and bring back to a boil. Cover and simmer on low until potatoes are tender. While the potatoes cook, scald the milk with an onion that’s been quartered. Bring the milk to a boil in a small pot, then immediately turn the heat down to low and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it, as boiling milk has a tendency to overflow (as my dad said, “no texting while scalding!” lol!). Strain the milk into the pot once the potatoes are done cooking.
Now for the finishing touches. Add chives and ground nutmeg to the pot (I like to grate nutmeg whole on a microplane zester). Add the flaked fish back into the pot and stir very gently so as not to break apart the fish too much. Bring it back up to a boil, and turn off the heat. Finally, stir in the heavy cream.
To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with a little more nutmeg, chives, black pepper, and a few very small pats of cold butter, which will melt on the surface for a gorgeous, rich, tasty sheen on top.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
FAQs
You can use whitefish such as cod, haddock, tilapia, sea bass, barramundi, monkfish, or snapper. Salmon also works for this recipe. Stay away from fish that is very lean (like tuna or swordfish) as it won’t flake nicely, and very delicate fish (like sole and flounder) as it will fall apart in the soup and practically disintegrate. However, if you have some delicate fish you need to use up, go ahead and throw it in – even if it doesn’t hold its shape, it will add flavor and texture!
Sure! Shrimp, lobster, or other shellfish can be added. If it’s cooked already, add it at the end with the poached, flaked fish. If it’s uncooked, add it with the fish in the beginning and remove it when you remove the fish.
Unfortunately, this is a soup that is best eaten within a few days and not frozen. Freezing will affect the texture of the fish and it won’t be as good. It will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you like, you can stir in a cornstarch slurry before adding the flaked poached fish back into the soup and thicken to your liking. Keep in mind, it will thin slightly when you add the heavy cream, so thicken it more than you normally would.
The leftovers are great, but be careful not to bring to a rolling boil, as the heavy cream will separate. Heat it until it’s hot, but not boiling.
Time saving tips
- Leave the potatoes unpeeled to save time. My dad insisted they be peeled (*insert obligatory daughter eye roll here*), but you can leave them unpeeled (I truly despise peeling potatoes, so I’ll just give them a good scrub with a brush next time I make it!).
- You can also cut the fish into cubes about 1.5 inches big and add the cubes to poach at the end, after the potatoes are done but before adding the heavy cream. This won’t result in as many meaty large flakes, but will work if you’re in a hurry and don’t feel like removing the fish to flake it! I do this in my Instant Pot Mediterranean Fish Stew recipe and it works great.
- You can skip scalding the milk and just use half the amount of evaporated milk, if you prefer.
- If you want the fish to cool faster so you can flake it apart sooner, just stick the tray it’s on in the freezer for a couple of minutes. Alternatively, you can pop the rimmed baking sheet or plate in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before placing the fish on it – the cold surface will cool it faster. This will also result in slightly more tender fish, as it will stop it from overcooking from any residual heat.
What to serve with fish chowder
I recommend a loaf of crusty bread to serve with the chowder. This no knead Dutch oven bread is my favorite! Dinner rolls are also a great option.
Recommended Equipment
A fish spatula makes easy work of removing the poached fish without removing the liquid. A slotted spoon will also work. I love using a Dutch Oven for this because it will stay hot, covered, for a half hour or so after you make it, so there’s no rush to get to the dinner table. A quarter sheet pan is perfect for flaking apart the poached fish without any liquid escaping. Here are the products I used:
Other classic New England recipes
Creamy New England Fish Chowder
Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven
- Sheet pan or plate with lip on edge
- Fish Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large yellow onions 2 chopped (for approximately 2 cups), one quartered and the layers flaked apart
- 2-3 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch dried thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more if needed
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper more if needed
- 1.5 – 2 lbs. cod or other fish (see notes)
- 8 oz. clam juice
- 2 lbs. potatoes scrubbed clean or peeled if you want, diced into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup whole milk
- small pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tablespoon minced chives
- 1 cup heavy cream
- more chives, fresh ground black pepper, extra butter, and nutmeg for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot such as a dutch oven, melt the butter (1 tablespoon) with the olive oil (1 tablespoon) over medium heat. Add the 2 chopped onions, stir to coat in the oil and butter, and sauté until translucent and softened, but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. (If the onions are browning, turn heat down to medium-low and add a little water, or cover to keep the steam in.)
- Add 2 cups of water to the pot, as well as the pinch of thyme, two bay leaves, kosher salt (1 teaspoon) and black pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Bring to a boil.
- Add the cod (2 pounds) to the pot. Place the pieces so they are flat and in one layer (or if your filets are very thin, stacking them is fine). The water should come up to the top of the pieces, but not submerge them. If the water seems too low, you can add 1/2 cup to 1 cup more. Bring it up to a low simmer, cover, and cook on low for 4-5 minutes until the fish flakes apart (if your burner is hot, you can just turn off the heat and cover).
- Using a fish spatula or slotted spoon, remove the fish to a large plate or rimmed baking sheet (I used a quarter sheet pan). Place the plate in the fridge or freezer, if you have room, for a couple of minutes so it cools faster and doesn't continue to cook. When the fish is cool enough to handle, gently flake it apart with your hands. You want the flakes to remain intact – don't over-flake it!
- Add the clam juice (8 oz.) to the pot, as well as the cubed potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked (pierce one with the tines of a fork to check if it's soft enough).
- While the potatoes are cooking, scald the milk. Place the milk (1 cup) and the quartered onion layers into a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5-7 minutes. Watch it carefully, as boiling milk will bubble up and might boil over!
- When the potatoes are finished cooking, strain the scalded milk through a mesh sieve into the pot. Add the flaked fish, as well as the chives (1/2 tablespoon) and the small pinch of nutmeg (we used fresh nutmeg; just a couple of grates on a microplane zester will do it).
- Bring the chowder back to a simmer. Turn off the heat. Stir in the heavy cream (1 cup), being careful to stir very gently so as not to break apart the fish too much. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Serve. If you like, garnish each bowl with a small pat of butter, some more nutmeg and chives, and fresh grated black pepper.
Notes
- Cod is the best to use for fish chowder. But if you can’t find it, or it’s too expensive, here are some alternatives.
- Good fish to use – other whitefish, such as snapper, tilapia, monkfish, barramundi or other sea bass, or salmon.
- Bad fish to use – lean fish such as tuna and swordfish (because they don’t flake apart well), and delicate like flounder and sole because they flake too much and fall apart (however, they do add flavor so if you have some you need to use up, throw it in!).
- Time saving tips: to save time, you can skip peeling the potatoes, cube the fish and add at the end instead of poaching and removing to flake, and/or use half the amount of evaporated milk instead of scalded whole milk.
- To cool the fish faster to flake, place the plate or rimmed baking sheet of fish in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then flake apart with your hands, or freeze the tray itself for 10-15 minutes before placing fish on it.
- You can add other seafood like lobster, crab, shrimp, etc., to make a seafood chowder. If it’s uncooked, add it when you poach the fish. If it’s already cooked, add it when you add the flaked, cooked fish back into the pot.
- If you reheat this chowder, be sure not to bring it to a boil after you’ve added the heavy cream, as it may curdle/separate.
- You can omit the clam juice if you like. Just add 1 cup more water or milk, and a little more salt to taste.
- If you like a thicker texture, you can add a cornstarch slurry to the soup just before adding the fish back into the pot. Mix 1/4 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons cornstarch until smooth, then pour into the pot and stir, heating until thickened (use more or less cornstarch according to preference). Then, add the fish and heavy cream (the cream will also thin it out a bit so make sure it’s a bit thicker than your preference beforehand).
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Diana Nordblom-Lesueur
Thank you for recipe and your Dad’s pictures. I am 76, grew up in Northern IN, my Dad grew up in Norwood, MA with 11 siblings and Swedish/ Finnish parents. Even my 25 yr husband was from Brockton, Ma. We met and married in NM, it was his MA accent that hooked me. I live in TN now but every winter we get serious winter weather in January. I had some salmon left from my New Years gravlax. We are in single digits with 6 inches of snow. My electricity and running water still good. My backyard and pond behind me are beautiful, I live in the country. So time to make fish chowder. I had shrimp shells to make stock, fresh salmon and yes, frozen farm catfish. And one cup of heavy cream left. Thank you for you and your father’s inspiration today to make my most favorite soup. Leftovers don’t freeze but in this weather it is soup time. Again, thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thank you for sharing this story!
Rebecca
Just made this for dinner, it is delicious. I’ve never made a chowder from scratch but this was so easy, definitely saving this one, thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Glinda
Can I use tilapia instead of cod which is too expensive where I live in Florida
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yup! There’s a note in the recipe about this. Here you go, I’ll copy and paste it here:
Cod is the best to use for fish chowder. But if you can’t find it, or it’s too expensive, here are some alternatives.
Good fish to use – other whitefish, such as snapper, tilapia, monkfish, barramundi or other sea bass, or salmon.
Bad fish to use – lean fish such as tuna and swordfish (because they don’t flake apart well), and delicate like flounder and sole because they flake too much and fall apart (however, they do add flavor so if you have some you need to use up, throw it in!).
Robin McCown
Very tasty! I am pregnant and trying to eat more fish. I did it with flounder because I was trying to use it up, and it really stayed in chunks pretty well. I had frozen fillets and I just dropped them in frozen. They only took a couple minutes to defrost. It’s possible that toughenesd to them a little bit which worked out!
I did not scald my milk and it was fine. What is the purpose? I added some celery after the onions had cooked a couple minutes and used red potatoes so it had some nice color. I also added a little marjoram because I’ve used it in similar recipes. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Scalding the milk just makes the flavor a bit different but it’s not 100% necessary.
Marilyn Baker
Excellent recipe! Very tasty and filling.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Ronna
Really amazing. Thanks for taking the time to post the recipe & notes. I scalded coconut milk (because I had it avail) & used 1/2+1/2. Also, I added mixed veggies (to get those into my kids somehow), and I skipped the clam juice because I didn’t have any. Finally, I used a dash of Allspice because I ran out of nutmeg. Followed the rest of the recipe to the letter. I mean, geez… I know it seems like I chg’d a lot, but I didn’t! Kept the spirit of the recipe in mind & used what was on hand. Result was a lightly sweet, fish-tasting chowder… amazing. Thk u!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Steve B
Amazing starter recipe, but severely lacked JO Spice. Substitute old bay if it’s all you have. Otherwise so close to perfect NE chowder!
Elizabeth Lindemann
JO Spice and Old Bay spice are Maryland-style crab flavors and I have never seen them in a true New England fish or clam chowder. That said, those spices are delicious, and you should feel free to add what you want to this recipe to make it yours!
jeanne dyson
Haven’t made this yet, but will this week! From Gloucester, MA Fishtown!! Living in FL on the coast, now where we have great shrimp and good southern fish, but I miss my New England fish ! My Dad doentvall his leisure time fishing and his chowder was much like your Dad’s but he always used salt fat pork for the base. Otherwise, oretty much the same. Sometimes we’d use Haddock Or make Clam Chowder.
I know I will enjoy this! Thank you for reminding me!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope it turns out well for you! I love Gloucester! I lived in the South for a while and boy do I miss the shrimp down there – hard to get good shrimp in New England (though I’m thankful for the access to other seafood!).
Kimberly Rhine
We love it! I am from Maine and now living in Ohio. It tastes like home! Thank you so much for sharing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and that you were able to enjoy a taste of home with this recipe!
Atay
Wonderful recipe for fish chowder! I had 1 1/2 lbs of frozen cod so I added a 1/2 lb of frozen shrimp (31-40 per lb). Since they were small/tiny, I added after the cream while it came back up to temp—they cooked in the hot chowder. No leftovers (4 adults as main meal).
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Avril
Completely wonderful & soothing! Best seafood chowder I’ve ever made or eaten. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and techniques! I did: ☆Pacific link cod and homemade shrimp broth instead of clam juice ☆I wanted a white colour so peeled the potatoes. I chose russet & cut them pretty large, then cooked them well until they started falling apart to give the broth body, without flour/starch, yet maintain chunkiness. ☆Sautéed bit of celery with the onions (whites). ☆did not strain the third onion from the scalded milk and those onion pieces added a specific deliciousness in the chowder. (I had kept stirring it so the milk didn’t skin) ☆copied another review elsewhere & used lard with butter instead of the olive oil ☆couldn’t decide if i should but finally added some garden sweet corn at the end. Wow those pops of sweetness complemented the sweetness that the nutmeg brought the chowder. ☆lastly, 1or2 TB of white wine vinegar brought it together even more. So yes I changed it somewhat but without altering the beauty of the original recipe. Sorry long review but thank you again! 💕
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your modifications – love the idea of adding sweet corn and vinegar (I LOVE adding vinegar to soups!).
Mark Kleinschmidt
I just finished making this. I made it with 1 1/4 pounds cod (Previously frozen) and 3/4+ Pound of salmon (Also out of the freezer, but thawed.) Didn’t do the clam juice, I used water. Instead of Milk and Heavy Cream, Used half and half for both. I added the chives fresh out of the garden. The pot (my largest) took it all, just barely! I could not have added even another tablespoon of liquid. I grew up on the coast of Maine and lived on one of the islands for a year. After a quick taste test, what an amazing concentration of flavors. I have an hour to wait until an early lunch, and can’t wait much more. Really looking forward to this!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love that you used both cod and salmon for this.
Amy S
This recipe has good bones. It underdoes it on the spices, which is unfortunately common in North American cuisine. Add more thyme, pepper, and salt, especially salt. Salt brings flavors together, and when it comes to soups most people under do it by a mile because they’re so afraid of over salting. Adding it all right at the won’t fix it. Add more salt when it first requests it, and keep tasting and add as you go. Overall if you spice it much more generously than the recipe asks for, it is a decent soup.
Elizabeth Lindemann
The ingredients list calls for 1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed, and it’s also recommended in the last step to season to taste with more salt if needed. I agree – soup needs a lot of salt, more than often you think it does!
Susan Jevaltas
Have you even read the recipe before writing your condescending review? Salt to taste, it states. Use common sense when executing a recipe!
Caron
Delicious! However, I added 1/4 cup flour to the onions and potatoes and then deglazed with 1 cup white wine. I ended up adding 1 cup of water and the clam juice. Unfortunately, I ended up diluting the flavor and it wasn’t as creamy as I had hoped. But it’s on me, not you! Hopefully, I can thicken the remaining chowder with some flour mixed in with butter.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! In the future, I think using some more fish broth, milk, or clam juice instead of water may help with this (and when the flavors seem diluted, sometimes adding more salt can be just the thing!).
Annette Tidwell
Love this fish chowder. I’m from New England, living in the south and I miss all the good seafood I used to eat up there..
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I also lived away from New England in the south for a while and missed the seafood terribly (except for shrimp – the south has MUCH better shrimp!).
pbb
Amazingly easy and absolutely delicious. I made some minor additions- I added dill weed since I love this with any fish, and, chopped clams (since I opened a can for the juice already).
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding dill.
Beth
Used 2 cod and one mackerel filets; added veggie bouillon cubes. Tastes a lot like chowdah made in Maine by husband’s aunt. Very good.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Erin Noelle
Elizabeth, I’m from Maine (30 years!) and this looks delicious and authentic! I’m excited to try it. I live in Austin TX for a while now and am wondering how you feel about using frozen cod versus fresh in this recipe? I’m thinking it may end up with a somewhat different texture, but still tasty – just didn’t know if you’d tried it that way or not. (P.S. I also love black licorice!)
Elizabeth Lindemann
What a small world! When I wrote this post with my dad, I had JUST moved from Austin, TX, where I had been living for 5 years (my husband is from there, we were in Dripping Springs)! I found fresh haddock once at H-E-B and was so excited about it. To answer your question, frozen cod will be just fine. I do recommend defrosting it completely before using it, otherwise it won’t cook evenly. But frozen fish is often better than fresh, especially when shipped away from where they are caught – and you’ll often find that the “fresh” stuff is actually previously frozen and defrosted to sell. Hope that helps!
Susan
Went fishing in Alaska and came home with a ton of cod and rockfish- not everyone in the family is a fan of it baked or fried so decided to try this recipe. Was easy and turned out delicious. Instead of clam juice, I used extra milk as suggested, and it did need additional salt. Also added defrosted frozen corn at the end. Will make again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding corn!
Kimberly Cahill
I’m from New England and I use my grandmothers fish chowder recipe. I really really liked your recipe especially using the scalded milk with the onions and poaching the fish and then taking it out it helped the fish not dissolve which usually happens. And I also add pork fat. It was quite delicious and I’m keeping this recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! The scalded milk with the onions makes such a difference, doesn’t it?
Jill
This was by far the most delicious chowder recipe I’ve ever made! I followed the recipe exactly, although I did add about a cup of diced celery, sautéing it with the onion at the beginning, as well as one fresh cup of corn, towards the end. Absolutely delicious! I am saving this, and it will be my go to.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Niklas
I like it! I’m not much of a cook, but this ended up being tasty. I’m Finnish, and this chowder tasted quite similar to the fish soup that I’ve eaten here. Too bad that clam juice is hard to find in Finland, so I wasn’t able to try it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! My dad, who made this recipe, is Norwegian, so I think there is definitely some Scandinavian influence here. Any kind of seafood stock will work instead of clam juice, if it’s hard to find for you.
Mw
I just made this with some fresh pollock I caught with my dad. Instead of clam juice, I made a stock with the heads, tails and skins the night before after filleting them. I also boiled carrot, celery, bay, thyme and onion in this stock, let it brew for two hours then left it to sit overnight before sieving it off for the chowder the next day. Was delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! And WOWZA on the homemade fish stock – well done! 👏