Salmon Chowder
on Aug 28, 2022, Updated Jun 06, 2025
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Chunky and creamy, rich and light all at the same time, this salmon chowder is a bowl of flavorful happiness any time of the year.
This recipe makes a super generous pot of creamy, chunky salmon chowder, enough to feed a gang of chowder lovers. It’s rich and light at the same time, and altogether comforting with substantial chunks of salmon and potatoes, plus fresh dill, peas, and a bit of crispy bacon!
This recipe is for a gluten-free chowder, with no flour. The starch from the potatoes thickens the stock a bit; you can also crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken up the base of the soup.
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You can serve this as a main course with some crusty bread. If you want to make this to launch a New England seafood feast, follow this up with New England Baked Haddock or grilled lobster tail and grilled clams. To round out the meal toss in a Tomato Antipasti Salad and Cornbread or Buttermilk Biscuits.
What's In This Post?
Salmon Chowder: Chunky and creamy, rich and light all at the same time, this salmon chowder is a bowl of flavorful happiness any time of the year.
Ingredients
- Bacon – Offers a bit of smokiness and umami. Leave it out for a pescatarian chowder.
- Butter – For sautéing and flavor.
- Onion and leek – The flavorful aromatic base. You can use all onions or all leeks, and you could also add some chopped celery.
- Dry white wine – For depth of flavor.
- Clam juice or chicken broth – Clam juice is more traditional, but chicken stock or broth will work perfectly well.
- Milk – You can use 2% milk or whole milk depending on how rich you want your chowder to be. DO NOT USE SKIM!
- Waxy potatoes – Many agree that it isn’t a chowder unless it has chunks of potatoes.
- Heavy cream – For a rich and creamy chowder.
- Skinless salmon filets – Cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Peas – You can use fresh or frozen.
- Scallions (green onions) – For a pop of freshness and a mellow onion-y flavor.
- Fresh dill
How to Make Simple Salmon Chowder
- Cook the bacon and aromatics: Cook the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Leave 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan, melt the butter, then sauté the onions and leeks.
- Add the liquids and potatoes: Add the wine, clam juice or broth, milk, potatoes, salt, and some pepper. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
- Simmer the soup: Add the cream and salmon and return to a simmer for a few minutes until the salmon turns opaque.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the peas, scallions, and 3 tablespoons of fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper.
- Finish and serve: Stir for another 2 minutes until the salmon and potatoes are fully cooked. Add the cooked bacon. Serve the chowder in bowls, sprinkled with a bit more chopped fresh dill.
Tips
- Make sure the liquid doesn’t come to a boil, or the soup might start to separate.
- Once you add the salmon pieces, stir carefully so it doesn’t totally fall apart as it cooks, you want some nice flaky chunks.
There are varying opinions on this, but I turned to a book that I have had on the shelf for years called Chowderland by Brooke Dojny. Dojny says: “Chowder, mostly seafood but sometimes with just vegetables or chicken or a combination thereof – is an Old European/North American dish that has traveled with us for hundreds of years, yet it emerges into the twenty-first century more popular than ever. Relatively small amounts of animal protein (or none at all) paired with potatoes, onions, other vegetables, and broth or milk result in the kind of simple-to-make, delicious, and sustainable one-pot dish that we love to eat today.”
Dojny explains the name probably came from the word chauldiere, the French term or the cauldron in which fishermen cooked their chowders. She defines chowder as “a chunky, hearty soup, usually made with salt pork or bacon, onions, potatoes, the main ingredient (often seafood), and a liquid.”
There are also corn chowders, a sub category; also check out the chicken corn chowder recipe.
What to Serve with Salmon Chowder
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Salmon Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon (sliced into 1/2-inch strips)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 leek (white and light green parts only; cleaned and sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup bottled clam juice or chicken broth
- 2 cups 2% milk or whole milk
- 1 pound waxy potatoes (diced into 1/2-inch cubes)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 pounds skinless salmon filets (cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- ½ cup sliced trimmed scallions (white and green parts)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill (plus extra for garnish)
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towels. Cook the bacon in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place on the paper towel-lined plate.
- Leave 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan and pour off the rest. Return the pot to medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt, then add the onions and leeks and sauté for 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the wine and stir to release any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the clam juice or broth, milk, potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then partially cover the pot, adjust the heat so it stays at a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cream and salmon and return to just barely a simmer. Stir carefully so the salmon doesn’t totally fall apart as it cooks; you want some nice flaky chunks. Simmer for a few minutes until the salmon turns opaque. As soon as the salmon starts to become cooked, add the peas, scallions, and 3 tablespoons of fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper. Stir for another 2 minutes until the salmon and potatoes are fully cooked through. Stir in the cooked bacon.
- Serve the chowder in bowls, sprinkled with a bit of extra chopped fresh dill.
