Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

This Nova Scotia seafood chowder combines haddock, shrimp, and lobster with potatoes, smoky bacon, fresh dill, and 35% cream. The seafood is added near the end of cooking to keep it tender, while golden pan-seared scallops are served on top.

Updated October 2026 with additional recipe history, revised ingredient notes, and clearer cooking tips.

My parents have said that this isn’t a traditional Nova Scotia recipe for seafood chowder because it uses 35% cream instead of canned evaporated milk, and contains bacon and fresh dill. To that I say, “Yes, but it’s delicious, and everyone who makes it loves it. So there.” Ha!

I first came across this recipe while doing food photography at Cabot Links in Inverness, Cape Breton in 2014. My friend Susan ordered a bowl of their seafood chowder and loved it so much that I asked the resort’s general manager for permission to share the recipe on my food blog. He happily agreed.

I later lived in Inverness for a year, and I’ve been returning regularly to visit my partner Chris’s family ever since. The earliest version of this chowder in my notebooks is dated January 31, 2015, and I’ve continued to adapt it over the years. It was a favourite of Chris’s stepdad Collie, and I made it for him almost every time we visited until he passed away in 2025.

Ingredients for Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

Ingredient Notes

• Bacon: Bacon serves a double purpose in this recipe. It adds a smoky, savoury flavour to the chowder, and the rendered fat is used to sear the scallops. I personally love the double-smoked bacon from 2 Boy’s in Cole Harbour (not sponsored), but it is very smoky.
• Black Pepper: Freshly ground is nice, but pre-ground works too.
• Carrots: There’s no need to peel them if they’re clean. I only peel carrots if they’re hairy.
• Chives: I recommend using fresh chives if you can. They add a mild onion flavour and a little freshness to the finished chowder.
• Cream (35%): Use 35% cream, sometimes labelled as whipping cream, for the rich, creamy broth. Keep the chowder at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil after adding it.
• Dill (Fresh): Fresh dill has a bright flavour that balances the richness of the cream, smoky bacon, and seafood. It’s one of my favourite ingredients in this chowder.
• Haddock: Use raw haddock, either fresh or fully thawed from frozen. Cut it into bite-sized pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly.
• Lobster: Use cooked lobster meat, freshly cracked or thawed from frozen. Add it near the end to warm it through without overcooking.
• Potatoes: I like yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, because they hold their shape well when simmered. I’ve also used nugget potatoes with success. Just halve them or quarter them, depending on their size.
• Salt: I use table salt in all my recipes.
• Scallops: I’m spoiled with access to fresh Digby scallops any time I want. Choose firm scallops with a clean, mild smell. Pat them dry before searing so they develop a golden crust.
• Shrimp: Use raw shrimp, fresh or thawed from frozen. Peel, devein, and chop them before adding them to the chowder.
• Water: Plain water is a clean base that lets the seafood, bacon, and herbs provide the flavour.

It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavour may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options for changing the original recipe.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Bacon: Substitute with diced salt pork or pancetta. Salt pork is a traditional starting point for Maritime chowders, but it can be quite salty and may need soaking before use. Because salt pork isn’t smoked, the chowder won’t have quite the same smoky flavour as it does with bacon. Reduce the added salt and adjust to taste.
• Black Pepper: Replace with an equal amount of ground white pepper.
• Cream (35%): Substitute with an equal amount of canned evaporated milk or 10% cream. Both will produce a lighter, less rich chowder.
• Dill (Fresh): Substitute with 2 teaspoons of dried dill or 1 to 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh parsley for a milder herbal flavour.
• Haddock: Replace with another mild, flaky white fish, such as cod, pollock, or hake.
• Lobster: Substitute with an equal amount of cooked crab meat.
• Salt: Fine sea salt works well in place of table salt. If using kosher or flaky sea salt, season to taste, since the crystal sizes vary.
• Scallops: Substitute large sea scallops with an equal weight of small bay scallops. Add them directly to the chowder with the other seafood in Step 5 and simmer gently until just cooked through.
• Shrimp: You can substitute raw shrimp with precooked shrimp of any size, including small salad shrimp (sometimes called baby shrimp). Add them during the final minute or two of cooking, just long enough to heat through.
• Water: Replace with an equal amount of homemade lobster stock, seafood stock, low-sodium chicken stock, or low-sodium vegetable stock.

Recipe Variations

Try any of the following for a twist on this Nova Scotia seafood chowder recipe:

• Bay Leaf: Add 1 bay leaf with the water or stock, then remove it before adding the cream.
• Cayenne Pepper: Stir in ¼ teaspoon at the end of cooking, adding more to taste.
• Celery: Add ½ cup of finely diced celery with the potatoes and carrots.
• Clams (Canned): Add 1 cup of canned clams with their juices at the same time as the other seafood.
• Corn (Canned, Fresh, or Frozen): Add 1 cup during the final 5 minutes of simmering.
• Lemon Zest: Stir in the finely grated zest of ½ lemon just before serving.
• Lobster Paste: For a more concentrated lobster flavour, stir one 70 g tin of lobster paste into the broth with the cream. Taste before adding additional salt.
• Lobster Stock: Replace the 4 cups of water with the same amount of homemade lobster stock.
• MSG: Stir in ¼ teaspoon near the end of cooking, adding up to ½ teaspoon to taste. I use MSG often in my cooking because it enhances savoury flavour in a way salt alone cannot.
• Old Bay Seasoning: Add ½ teaspoon, then taste before adding more. Reduce the salt if needed.
• Thyme (Fresh): Add 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves with the water or stock.
• White Wine (Dry): After searing the scallops and removing them from the pot, add ¼ cup (60 ml) of dry white wine. Let it simmer briefly before adding the water or stock.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Stir in 1 teaspoon just before adding the seafood.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.

How To Make Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

STEP 1. Pat the scallops dry with paper towel. Cook the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until almost crisp.

STEP 2. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Sear the scallops in the hot bacon fat until golden on both sides, then remove them from the pot.

STEP 3. Add the water, potatoes, carrots, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

STEP 4. STEP 4. Pour in the cream and heat gently until the chowder returns to a simmer.

STEP 5. Add the raw haddock, raw shrimp, and cooked lobster. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the haddock and shrimp are just cooked through.

STEP 6. Stir in the bacon, chives, dill, and pepper. Serve hot, topped with the pan-seared scallops and a sprinkle of fresh dill.