The Best Halibut Chowder Recipe

With a surplus of chilly days ahead, we’re on the hunt for recipes that can turn any cold, rainy day into a cozy afternoon complete with nourishing comfort food. We’ve warmed up to the idea of using more dutch oven recipes on a regular basis recently, too, as their ease of use is unmatched on a fall day.

One of our favorite dishes that seems to stand the test of time on a colder day is chowder! Something about a slurpable dish that adds a little texture in the form of warm, mushy potatoes, flavorful onions and your favorite protein makes all the difference on a day where you just can’t seem to shake the chill from your bones.

Here at Wild For Salmon it’s no secret we like to incorporate wild-caught seafood into every meal. From the natural health benefits to the amazing flavor it adds to any dish, we live off of seafood year round - and are proud of it!

So for this seafood chowder recipe, we wanted to try something other than clam chowder for the main protein source. After running through our wide selection of seafood options, we finally settled on incorporating Halibut as the main ingredient in our new chowder. 

Meaty in texture yet mild in flavor, this white fish adds a sense of hearty nourishment into the pot without overpowering the rest of the ingredients. 

What exactly is a chowder?

In a nutshell, chowder is a cream-based soup that often includes vegetables like carrots, onion and potatoes, as well as large chunks of meat or seafood. Unlike soups, which are often thin and clear, chowders tend to be lighter in color and thicker in texture (both thanks to the cream base).

Many people located in the Northeast and Northwest will center their chowders around seafood, as it’s the perfect way for them to blend their fishing lifestyle with their daily meals. Clams are a popular choice to add in thanks to the ever-famous New England Clam Chowder.

However, here at Wild for Salmon we are eager to expand our palettes and incorporate white fish into this chowder as we believe it's just as tasty as, (if not better than!) clams in our fall comfort food meals.

Another main ingredient we believe is vital in the perfect fall chowder recipe is fish stock. Easy to make and capable of upping the flavor of your chowder tenfold, we highly suggest incorporating this into your chowder recipe ingredients list!

How to make fish stock?

In the creation of this Halibut Chowder recipe, Chef Marisa was excited to be able to use not just our boneless Halibut portions for the chowder, but our actual Halibut stock bones as well. Here at Wild For Salmon, we believe using all parts of your protein source in your cooking helps make for a more sustainable and accomplished meal. No piece is wasted and you add flavors you hadn’t thought to explore before!

Using an extremely simple, one-pot fish bone broth recipe, Chef Marisa makes creating your own Halibut stock at home colorful and fun!

Simply combine all of the ingredients into one large pot, cover with water and simmer for two hours. Though there is some babysitting involved in the creation of a seafood stock (never leave your stove unattended!), the only action required is skimming the occasional foam build up off the top of the ingredients.

If you’re interested in making your own Halibut fish stock at home, be sure to check out Chef Marisa’s full fish stock recipe here. This stock is also great as a base for any fish-based soup, pasta sauce, or liquid to cook your rice in - not just for Halibut dishes or chowders! Plus, her recipe offers a way to use up those extra shrimp shells in your next seafood stock, too!

For those of you ready to get started on your own white fish chowder recipe, we suggest reading Chef Marisa’s specific cooking tips and suggestions on how to serve the dish below. Then, dive in and let us know how yours turns out!

Chef Notes:

This creamy halibut chowder makes for a delicious and comforting lunch or dinner on a cool fall day. It has a light texture and delicate flavor that allows the halibut to be the star of the show. Serve it with fresh buttered bread and a side salad for a more substantial meal.

Halibut works well in this recipe because it has a meaty texture and mild flavor and flakes apart beautifully into bite-size pieces without getting overcooked. It comes with the skin and bones already removed so there is essentially no prep work involved except thawing in the fridge overnight.

Variations:

This recipe can be made without bacon, though it does add a salty smoky layer of flavor. To

make this version, skip step two, and instead add two tablespoons of butter before sautéing the vegetables.

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AUTHOR PROFILE

Marisa Kerkvliet of Lemon Thyme Kitchen is a freelance recipe developer and food photographer with a Master’s degree in Nutrition. She was raised on her family’s farm in Northwest Washington and her appreciation for good food developed at a very early age. She is passionate about creating recipes and beautiful imagery that highlight high-quality seasonal ingredients. Marisa loves all types of seafood, but her favorites are salmon and scallops!