Seafood chowder plays a big part in my Maritime heritage. 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 milk). Either way it’s delicious and everyone who makes it or tries it loves it.
Use any seafood you like or have on hand—fresh or frozen. If you don’t like dill you can swap in fresh parsley—a bit of finely grated lemon zest is terrific too. Get ready to enjoy an East Coast classic!
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Ingredients
- 35% Heavy Cream—also called whipping cream.
- Seafood—You can use fresh, frozen, or thawed from frozen seafood. Use ant seafood you like, or have on hand.
- Fresh Dill And Chives—dill adds brightness while chives add a bit of punch to the creamy base. Parsley is a good swap for dill, or even a bit of finely grated lemon zest works.
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.
Step-By-Step Instructions
If using frozen scallops, thaw before cooking. Once thawed, sandwich the scallops gently between paper towel to dry the tops and bottoms. The more dry the scallops are the better they will sear!
Cook the bacon strips in a frying pan until crisp. Place on paper towel to blot grease and set aside.
Keep the pan of bacon grease hot over medium-high heat. Place the thawed and dried scallops in the pan, and cook until golden on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (cooking time depends on the size of your scallops). Set scallops aside.
Combine water, potatoes, and carrots in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Pour the heavy cream into the pot and bring the chowder to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Chop the dill and the chives.
Crumble the cooked bacon into small pieces with your hands.
Add the cooked bacon and all of the seafood to the pot except the scallops. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Season the chowder with salt and pepper. Stir and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Add chopped dill and chives to the pot and stir.
Your Nova Scotia seafood chowder is now ready to serve!
Ladle into bowls making sure each serving gets a fair share of seafood! Top each serving with pan-seared scallops, and a sprinkle of fresh dill. Serve hot with fresh rolls or biscuits.
Notes & Tips
- Take Your Chowder To The Next Level And Make Lobster Stock—if using lobster in the shell, remove all meat from the lobster. Place the empty shells and body on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the shells for 20 minutes at 450ºF (230ºC). Place the roasted shells in a pot, cover them with water, and gently boil for one hour. Top with more water if needed. Afterwards, strain out the shells, and reserve the liquid to use as your chowder base instead of water. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- Use Any Fish You Like—a good tip is to look for what’s on sale! You can use halibut, salmon, clams, mussels, or anything else you like. My dad likes to add a can of clams with the juice when he makes seafood chowder.
- A Note On Scallops—some recipes instruct to add scallops to the pot and cook them directly in the liquid. I prefer the look and taste of golden, pan-seared scallops. You can do whichever you like.
- Be Gentle When You Stir—after you add the fish to your Nova Scotia seafood chowder, stir it gently, especially if using haddock as it tends to fall apart easily.
- It Tastes Better The Second Day—resting the soup overnight allows all of the flavours to fully infuse. I’d even argue the chowder tastes best the third day!
Substitutions
- Water vs. Stock—as the potatoes and carrots cook in the water, it essentially makes a vegetable stock for the base of the chowder. Feel free to substitute chicken or seafood stock if you prefer.
- Swap In Double Smoked Bacon—sometimes available at your local butcher or specialty food shop.
- Reduce The Fat—Nova Scotia seafood chowder also works with 18% coffee cream, and 10% cereal cream. I prefer the velvety smoothness of 35% heavy cream.
- Fresh Dill Substitution—dill adds a bright tone which offsets the creamy richness of the chowder. Not everyone loves dill, however, and if this is you, try parsley instead. In my opinion, a lighter brighter note is definitely needed! A bit of finely grated lemon zest added to taste is also terrific.
Storage
- To Store—keep your chowder in the pot with the lid, or 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 on the stovetop until steamy.
- To Reheat From Frozen—thaw overnight in the fridge. The next day, reheat gently over low-medium heat in a pot on the stove.
FAQ
Freeze chowder in a plastic container with a lid, or laying flat in a large zipper-top freezer bag for up to 1 months.
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Printable Recipe Card
Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
Equipment
- paper towel
- 12-inch (30-cm) skillet cast iron or metal
- tongs
- 4 to 6-quart (litre) pot cast iron or other heavy bottomed pot
- measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- liquid measuring cup
- sharp knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 cup scallops, fresh or thawed frozen
- 6 strips bacon
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 medium potatoes, washed, unpeeled, chopped into ½ inch (1 ½ cm) pieces
- 2 large carrots, washed, unpeeled, sliced into coins
- 3 cups 35% whipping cream
- 1 cup lobster meat, cooked, chopped
- 1 cup shrimp, fresh or thawed frozen, tails removed, deveined
- 1 cup haddock, fresh or thawed frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chives, fresh, chopped
- 1 to 2 tablespoons dill, fresh, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground
Instructions
- If you are using frozen scallops, thaw them before cooking. Sandwich the scallops gently between sheets of paper towel to dry the tops and bottoms. The drier the surface of the scallops the better they will sear.
- Cook the bacon strips in a hot frying pan until crisp. Place the cooked bacon on sheets of paper towel to blot any grease. Set aside.
- Keep the pan of bacon grease hot over medium-high heat. Place the dried scallops in the pan, and cook them until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (the cooking time depends on the size of your scallops). Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Combine the water, ½ teaspoon of salt, potatoes, and carrots in a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Pour the whipping cream into the pot. Bring the chowder back up to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Crumble the cooked bacon into small pieces with your hands. Add the cooked bacon, lobster, shrimp, and haddock to the pot. Bring the chowder back to a simmer and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Season the chowder with remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Stir gently and taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Add the chopped chives and dill to the pot and stir. Taste again and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Ladle the chowder into bowls making sure each serving gets a fair share of seafood! Top each serving with a few of the pan-seared scallops and a sprinkle of fresh dill. Serve the chowder hot with warm rolls or biscuits.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ayngelina says
People come to Nova Scotia for lobster, but there’s nothing more typical than chowder.
Leanne says
I love a good seafood chowder!! I’m not able to tolerate a lot of dairy, but it’s worth it when seafood is involved! And I’m like you Kelly. Living in Newfoundland, I was exposed to seafood all my life, but really only started enjoying and appreciating it as an adult! I’d love a huge bowl of this chowder right now!
Ashley Cullis says
Leanne, I’m similar with my intolerance of dairy. I just made this recipe using 10% Natrel (Lactose free) and it is delicious! The starch in the water from boiling the potatoes thickened it up nicely. And now I don’t have to suffer for the rest of the day 🙂 Great recipe, Kelly!
Bernice Hill says
ahhh I’m just dying over this chowder….oh how I would love a bowl. One of these days, I just have to head to the East coast and eat my fill of lobster. Especially if you say boiling the lobster in brine is the best, can’t get that here in Alberta.
Colleen says
Being a westcoaster, I am a huge fan of seafood chowders. Lobster is usually pretty expensive here, but this chowder will be worth every penny spent. It looks absolutely delicious!
Matt - Total Feasts says
Oh you know I just cannot resist commenting on any recipe remotely connected to my beloved NS! I do love a good seafood chowder, and this recipe looks great Kelly!
Terri says
I can’t believe that you didn’t eat seafood until your 30’s!? Believe me, I’d be eating so much more if I wasn’t land-locked. I can’t wait to try this when I can get my hands on some decent seafood!
missy bell says
Kudos to you for this recipe from my husband and myself — I made it yesterday and can only say, it is simply the very best seafood chowder that I’ve ever made! I made it exactly the same as the recipe and only added 2 tsps of Old Bay seasoning to ramp up the flavor. No disappointments here — It tasted perfect. PS it is the first time I have ever used leeks. I think the call to use leeks brings the chowder up another notch in flavor rather than using onion. Thank you again for the recipe — I will be making it many more times again!
Kelly says
Oh hooray, I’m so glad! I keep meaning to return to this post and freshen up because it’s so tasty and I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Joyce says
Always love myself a good chowder and this looks so good!
NANCY @instanomss says
A nice hearty chowder is always a good idea! thanks for sharing!
Kristen says
Omg this chowder looks exquisite!! I cannot wait to make this.
Lisa says
This looks so simple and delicious…I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sharon says
I used to hate seafood chowder until my mom told me it was ‘bacon soup’ and I loved it ever since. lol This soup looks STUNNING. And I have major measuring spoon envy. 🙂
Isabelle @ Crumb says
I’ve had many bowls of chowder over the years, but the absolutely best in my eyes will always be the Nova Scotia seafood chowder. I think it’s because it’s lighter than the heavy New England style, so the flavour of the seafood actually shines through. I am definitely overdue for my fix, so pinning your recipe to try out as soon as I can get my hands on some lobster!
Courtney says
Do you cook the fish before adding it to the chowder?
Kelly says
Nope! Raw fish in small pieces only takes about 5 minutes to cook directly in the chowder!
Cecelia Bourque says
Hello neighbor!
I ll be serving this on Christmas Eve, sounds delicious 😋
I also was brought up around seafood in New Brunswick.
Nothing like fresh Atlantic seafood.
My bottled lobster will be delicious in this chowder!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kelly says
Amazing Cecilia! I’m actually making it for New Year’s Eve upon my Dad’s insistence. lol Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Rachel says
Thank you for this recipe! My guests say this is the best chowder they’ve ever had! I wasn’t sure it was going to be enough for 6 adults so I did add more meat. It probably would have been enough though!
Kelly says
Hooray! I made a batch on New Year’s Eve for us to eat on New Year’s Day because I find it tastes better the second and third day. You’re right, it may not seem enough for six adults, but it’s very rich! So happy you liked it. 🙂
Falconfixer06 says
This was delicious. I had to shoot from the hip the first time because I didn’t scroll all the way down to the Pinterest part that has the measurements. I used leeks instead of chives and I added chopped parsley and a few sprigs of saffron. I omitted shellfish so that the leftovers would last longer. Fantastic dish!
Corinne says
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. As you suggested in the notes, we made a lobster broth with the shells, which was then used for the base. The proportions of the various seafood and other ingredients were perfect. We added celery, and, because I can’t eat bacon, we substituted with turkey bacon. Instead of stovetop, we used our Instant Pot to cook the base broth and vegetables.
Although we cannot yet travel to the east coast due to the continuing pandemic-related travel restrictions, this brings back fond memories of our travels to Atlantic Canada.
Rosie Shearin says
I tried this recipe for our New Years Eve Dinner, we are staying home due to Newest Covid outbreak. I wanted something special. O my stars, special it was. I did have to make a few changes but it was great. I used Bay Scallops because I didn’t have any Sea Scallops. I seared them and then went ahead and added to the chowder with other seafood. I also added a small sweet onion chopped small. Other than that I followed the instructions. My husband can’t stop talking about this . Thank you. Rosie
Lucy says
This was absolutely amazing!
Brian Call says
I made this with oysters, cockles, and manila clams. I didn’t have any dill, so i used a 1/2 tsp lemon zest instead, and added two dashes of crystal hot sauce. I made sure to barely simmer the soup to avoid curdling. After adding the shellfish in order—whole clams, chopped cockles, then the delicate oysters—I gently simmered the shellfish for only a couple of minutes to avoid any rubberiness. Truly one of the best soups I’ve ever had, and we make a lot of chowder! Thank you!
Kelly Neil says
Awesome! We find it hard to justify the lobster prices here out of season, but we make this chowder year round with any other seafood we like of have on hand. Love love love the idea of using clams, cockles, and oysters! Sounds amazing and I’m so happy you loved it.🦪🦪🦪