I’m excited to share an easy one-pot chowder that’s quick enough to be a weeknight dinner and yummy enough to taste like it came from a fancy restaurant. Delicious real food does not have to be complicated! Also, just like most soups and stews, this dish is fabulous leftover so feel free to double the recipe while you’re at it. You’ll thank yourself later. :)
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I had a chance to demo this recipe on the Charlotte Today show … you can check out the clip below!
Fish and Potato Chowder - 1 Pot Meal!
This easy one-pot chowder is quick enough for a weeknight dinner but tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant. Real food doesn't have to be complicated!
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 pound mild white fish, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth, could also use veggie or fish stock if you have it
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into small dice
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
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In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon on both sides until brown and crispy. Remove cooked bacon and crumble.
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Add the fish pieces to the pot with the bacon grease and cook until white on both sides. It's okay if it's still raw in the middle. Remove from the pot and add to the plate next to the crumbled bacon.
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Add the butter to the same pot, still on medium, and cook the onion and celery for about 3 or 4 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic to the pot and cook while stirring for another minute.
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Pour in the stock along with the potatoes and spices. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to be pierced with a fork.
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If more of a pureed soup is desired, you can remove half the potato chunks at this point, add in the crumbled bacon and puree with a hand immersion blender before adding back in the fish and rest of the potatoes.
Otherwise throw back in the bacon and fish and add the heavy cream. Stir to combine and heat until the fish is cooked all the way through. Serve warm with garlic toast and a salad.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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I made this tonight using pollock and milk instead of cream. I also added a bay leaf for flavor. It was delicious with toasted bread and a side salad. Going into the recipe carousel. Thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! – Nicole
Love this chowder. I don’t feel it is necessary to use bacon. I have made this twice now, and we really love the flavor combination. For two people, I use an eight ounce piece of halibut.
This looks awesome! Can this be lightened up for heart healthy patients? Can the bacon be replaced with olive oil? Can the heavy cream be a light cream?
We’ve not subbed in this recipe. If you experiement, let us know how it goes.
My 6 year old had 2 helpings of this last night and then asked to have it for breakfast! Thank you for another awesome recipe! You have no clue how many of your recipes I use all of the time! Probably at least 5 a week! : )
I made this tonight and it is delicious! I followed the recipe but used wild salmon, added a cup of frozen organic corn and doubled the thyme. The thyme is key. I saved about half of the potatoes and used my inversion blender to thicken. I only used a dash of half and half– soup is rich without it! I highly recommend serving the spinach with hot bacon dressing salad from Lisa’s first cookbook along with the chowder. This meal was a big hit with my family.
What would a mainly vegetarian version of this be? We don’t eat meat but we do eat fish. I’ve made something similar before – a potato-cod chowder – but it was quite bland so any suggestions on how to make it flavorful for non-meat eaters appreciated!
Hi there. This might help: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-add-the-smokey-flavor-of-bacon-to-vegetarian-and-vegan-dishes-171151 but I’d avoid the liquid smoke.
My son was sick and I couldn’t leave the house so I made it with what I had. (If I had that laughing/crying emoticon, I’d put it here because I changed the recipe so much!) It was still incredibly delicious. Beef stock, a combination of tilapia and frozen salmon, leeks instead of celery, and because of the leeks, I switched the thyme to nutmeg. :0D It was fantastic and I ate three bowls of it.
My dear, sick, feverish three year old? Not so much. He ate three spoons of it. All he could stomach was goldfish cracker, Gatorade, and colby jack cheese. Usually, there’s no way in heck that would be his dinner, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do, I guess. ;0)
we can’t do potato unfortunately:( Any idea for a potato replacement?
thank you, looks like a great recipe.
Maybe cauliflower? Cauliflower is a good potato sub elsewhere, so it might work here.
This looks absolutely delicious. Definitely going on my must-try list!
Parsnip? Turnip. Rutabaga too but thats pretty strong. We love it tho.
Do you think turkey bacon would work? We don’t eat pork. Or do you have other substitute ideas?
Hello. It won’t add as much flavor but it should work fine. :)
There is beef bacon too, yup, rly!
how to find paper edtorI made it in a pot on the stove but I used chicken stock that I made in my instant pot.
I make a similar chowder in my instant pot! I sautée bacon and set it aside, then sautée onions and add potatoes and carrots (and sometimes corn). I put in enough broth to barely cover the veggies, then place 2-3 frozen salmon filets on top. I cook on manual for 3 minutes, remove the salmon, flake it and return it to the pot, and add just enough milk or cream to make it creamy. I use the bacon as a garnish.
I made it in a pot on the stove but I used chicken stock that I made in my instant pot.
I made it tonight with cod. So good! The thyme really makes a difference.
This looks so good!
Izzy