Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
Seafood chowder plays a big part in my Maritime heritage (as do Nova Scotia oatcakes and Nova Scotia blueberry grunt). Rich, creamy, and hearty, my parents have argued this is not a traditional recipe for Nova Scotia seafood chowder because I use 35% heavy cream instead of canned evaporated milk, and I make it with bacon and dill. Either way, it’s delicious, and everyone who makes it or tries it loves it.
Once the ingredients are prepped, the soup is quick to come together—about 35 minutes. You can use any seafood you like or have on hand—fresh or frozen—however, I don’t recommend adding salmon as the flavor can sometimes overpower the other fish. Once you make this easy East Coast classic from scratch it will be hard to go back to any other version!
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💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ It’s a delicious way to showcase your favorite seafood.
✔️ You can make it one pot for easy cleanup.
✔️ It’s a simple recipe that always impresses guests!
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- 35% Whipping Cream—This is also called heavy cream.
- Lobster—The lobster must be pre-cooked.
- Bacon—Thick-cut bacon holds up nicely. I sometimes use double-smoked bacon for extra flavor.
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Seafood—You can use any fresh, frozen, or thawed frozen seafood you like or have on hand.
- Dill—Parsley is a fresh-tasting substitute for dill.
- 35% Whipping Cream—You can substitute 18% coffee cream or 10% blend (also called half and half) for the whipping cream.
🎬 Recipe Video
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
STEP 1—Dry the scallops between sheets of paper towel. Cook the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it’s almost crisp.
STEP 2—Cook the dried scallops in the hot bacon grease until golden. Remove the scallops from the pot and set them aside.
STEP 3—Add the water, potatoes, carrots, and half of the salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
STEP 4—Pour the cream into the pot. Bring the chowder back to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
STEP 5—Add the haddock, lobster, and shrimp to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes.
STEP 6—Add the cooked bacon bits, chives, dill, pepper, and remaining salt to the pot. Stir well. Serve hot topped with pan-seared scallops and a sprinkle of fresh dill.
🗣Expert Tips
1. Take your seafood chowder to the next level and make lobster stock. See the recipe notes for how to do this.
2. Stir a teaspoon or two of Old Bay seasoning, or finely grated lemon zest into the pot before serving.
3. Add a tin of canned clams, including the juice, to the chowder when you add the seafood.
📝 Recipe Notes
- Look for seafood when it’s on sale and freeze it for later.
- Cook as many scallops as you want to serve per bowl.
- I prefer the look and taste of pan-seared scallops but you can add them directly to the pot when you add the other seafood if you want.
- After you add the fish to the chowder, stir it gently, especially if using haddock as it tends to fall apart easily.
- Seafood chowder tastes better on the second day. Resting the soup overnight allows all of the flavors to fully infuse. I’d even argue the chowder tastes best on the third day.
- Keep your chowder in a plastic or glass container with an airtight lid in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, ladle portions into bowls or into a small pot and gently heat on half power in the microwave, or over medium-low heat in a pot on the stovetop until steamy.
- I don’t recommend freezing chowder.
🦞 How To Make Lobster Stock
Lobster stock is a simple way to take your seafood chowder to the next level. I sometimes use it in place of water.
- Remove all of the meat from a cooked lobster.
- Place the empty shells and body on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the shells for 15 minutes at 450ºF (230ºC) or until toasted and fragrant.
- Place the roasted shells in a pot, cover them with water, and gently boil for one hour. Top with more water if needed.
- Strain out the shells, and reserve the liquid to use as your chowder base instead of water. Proceed with the recipe as written.
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
Stored in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid, Nova Scotia seafood chowder will last for three days in the fridge.
In the Maritimes, it’s pretty classic to serve seafood chowder with a soft dinner roll or tea biscuit. Other options are crackers, a sandwich, or a simple green salad on the side.
If you want a thicker base than whipping cream alone offers, add a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour or cornstarch when you add the seafood to the pot.
Did you make this Nova Scotia seafood chowder? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
Printable Recipe Card
Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
Equipment
- Paper towel
- Slotted spoon optional
- Tongs
- 6 quart (6L) pot cast iron or other heavy bottomed pot
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Liquid measuring cup
- Sturdy spoon or spatula
Ingredients US cups or click for Metric grams
- 12 large sea scallops (fresh or thawed from frozen)
- 3 strips thick-cut bacon (or 6 regular strips, chopped)
- 4 cups water
- 2 large potatoes (washed and unpeeled, chopped into ½ inch (1.5 cm) pieces)
- 2 large carrots (washed and unpeeled, sliced into ¼ inch (6 mm) coins)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups 35% cream (also called whipping cream)
- 1 cup cooked lobster (chopped)
- 1 cup raw haddock (fresh or thawed from frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 18 large raw shrimp (fresh or thawed from frozen, peeled, deveined, chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives (chopped )
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (freshly cracked)
Instructions
- Dry the scallops well by sandwiching them gently between sheets of paper towel, then set aside. The drier the surface of the scallops, the more golden the sear should be.
- Cook the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until almost crisp, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside.
- Keep the bacon grease hot over medium-high heat. Use tongs to gently place the scallops in the hot fat, and cook until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the scallops from the pot and set aside.
- Add the water, potatoes, carrots, and salt to the pot, then use a wooden spoon to scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover with the lid, and gently simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Pour the cream into the pot, bring the chowder back to a simmer, and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
- Gently stir the cooked lobster, raw haddock, and raw shrimp into the pot. Simmer gently for 5 minutes until the seafood is just cooked through.
- Add the cooked bacon, chives, dill, and pepper, then adjust the seasoning to suit your taste. Ladle the chowder into bowls, making sure each serving gets a fair share of seafood, then top with pan-seared scallops and a sprinkle of fresh dill. Serve hot with fresh rolls or biscuits.
Video
Notes
- For detailed ingredient notes, substitution tips, variations, and step-by-step photos, scroll through the full recipe post.
- Use a digital kitchen scale for precise measurements.
- To switch to gram measurements, click “Metric grams” in the ingredients section of the recipe card.
- If using frozen seafood, thaw it completely in the fridge and pat it dry before cooking to avoid excess water in the pot.
- Cook only as many scallops as you plan to serve, since they are best enjoyed fresh from the pan. I prefer the look and taste of pan-seared scallops, but you can add them directly to the pot when you add the other seafood if you want.
- After adding the seafood, stir gently, especially since white fish like haddock tends to flake apart easily.
- Seafood chowder tastes better on the second day. I’d even argue it tastes best on the third day.
Storage
- Store leftover seafood chowder in a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat gently in a small pot over medium-low heat or in the microwave at half power until hot and steamy, stirring once or twice.
- I do not recommend freezing seafood chowder.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Kelly Neil is a recipe developer, food photographer, and lifelong Nova Scotian building a sense of home and identity through recipes. She lives in her hometown of Dartmouth with her partner, Chris, their daughter, Elodie, and their little dog, Skipper.
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I just made the chowder, my first attempt with any seafood chowder recipe. My fella is from NFLD and quite picky when it comes to chowder. His review “Restaurant Worthy!.
No need to try any other recipes. I did swap the water for no sodium chicken broth.
Kim
I’d like to leave out the bacon but understand that ingredient provides smokiness. Could adding Spanish paprika help replace the smoke flavor? If so, how much would you suggest using? If not, what else could I use and how much?
Hi Jen, and thanks for your question. You can definitely leave out the bacon and sear the scallops in butter, or a mix of butter and a little neutral oil to prevent burning. Both work well and give you a great golden crust. For a bit of smokiness, I would start with 1/8 teaspoon of smoked paprika and then add more as needed until the smokiness balances the seafood. You can also use a drop of liquid smoke, and then add to taste, but go slowly as it’s very strong. Hope you enjoy the chowder!
Literally amazing – and I don’t say that lightly!! So good it’s going to become our special holiday dish!
I’m in the process of making your chowder for company tonight. I have a recipe that I’ve used for years but decided to try yours instead. It is so easy especially when at the last minute all you have to do is add everything that is all ready from earlier. This is definitely a keeper. I’m hoping for some leftovers but not holding my breath. I did substitute corn for the carrots.
I also agree salmon is too overwhelming a flavour for chowder.
I will definitely look at more of your recipes after Christmas.
Thanks
What a lovely recipe for our Christmas Eve. Lovely flavour, taste, and texture and yes it did taste better the day after, didn’t last three days. I did have to add a bay leaf (personal taste)