Packed with sweet wild-caught shrimp, smoky bacon, and buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, this creamy shrimp chowder is the perfect one-pot comfort food. A rich base of seafood stock and heavy cream gets a savory lift from simple vegetables and a pinch of Old Bay seasoning. It is warm, incredibly filling, and easy to make.
Jump to:
This creamy shrimp chowder is made with bacon, potatoes, Old Bay, and tender shrimp. It is rich, cozy, and ready in about 40 minutes.
Why You'll Love This Shrimp Chowder
It is 90 degrees outside with 100% humidity when I made this shrimp chowder, but inside, the AC was cranked and a warm bowl of chowder was exactly right.
A good chowder is built in layers. Start with bacon, then cook the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in the drippings. Stir in the flour to make a roux, then add the stock, potatoes, thyme.
The cream goes in near the end and stays at a low simmer. The shrimp go in last, just long enough to turn pink.
The result is a creamy, old-fashioned shrimp chowder with sweet shrimp, potatoes, smoky bacon, and a clean seafood flavor in every bowl.
Top Tips
- Prepare all the ingredients before adding anything to the pot. This recipe moves quickly, so have the bacon chopped, vegetables diced, potatoes cut, shrimp ready, and cream measured before you start cooking.
- Take the cream out of the refrigerator before you begin. Pour it into a measuring glass and let it sit on the counter while the potatoes simmer.
- Do not boil the chowder after adding the cream. Keep the heat low and bring it back to a gentle simmer so the chowder stays smooth.
- Add the shrimp at the end. Shrimp cook quickly and only need a few minutes in the hot chowder.
Ingredients
- Bacon
- Unsalted butter
- Onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and parsley
- All-purpose flour or white rice flour for gluten-free
- Seafood stock, shrimp stock, homemade fish stock, or low-sodium chicken broth
- Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- Fresh thyme
- Heavy cream, at room temperature
- Old Bay seasoning
- Wild-caught shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- Kosher salt and black pepper
See recipe card below for quanities.
How To Make Shrimp Chowder
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside for garnish. Leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to the bacon fat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot and let it melt. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to coat the vegetables and cook off the raw flour taste.
- Slowly pour in the stock or broth while stirring. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits from the bacon and vegetables.
- Add the potatoes and thyme. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bring the chowder to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Turn the heat down to low. Pour in the heavy cream and stir gently. Add the Old Bay seasoning. Bring the chowder back to a gentle simmer, but do not let it boil.
- Add the shrimp. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the shrimp are pink and opaque.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with the crispy bacon and fresh parsley, chives, or green onions. Serve with oyster crackers or saltines.
Storage and Leftovers
Store leftover shrimp chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat gently in a pot over low heat, stirring often. Do not boil.
Cream-based chowders do not freeze well because they can separate after thawing.
Serving Suggestions
Top each bowl with crispy bacon, chopped parsley, chives or green onions, a sprinkle of paprika, and a few crackers right before serving.
Serve hot with oyster crackers or saltines on the side. It gives the chowder that old-fashioned Cape Cod-style feel.
For a lighter meal, add a mixed garden salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and a lemony vinaigrette. Sweet coleslaw also works well with the creamy chowder.
More Seafood Recipes
If you love this shrimp chowder, try these easy seafood recipes next:
FAQ
Wild-caught shrimp are best. Key West pink shrimp are sweet and tender, so they work very well in this recipe.
Yes. Use white rice flour instead of all-purpose flour. Also check your stock and oyster crackers to make sure they are gluten-free.
A roux is a mixture of butter and flour cooked together for a minute or two before adding the liquid. In this shrimp chowder, the roux helps thicken the seafood stock and gives the chowder a creamy texture.
Yes, for this recipe, the roux helps give the chowder body. Without it, the chowder will be thinner and more like a creamy seafood soup. You can use all-purpose flour or white rice flour for a gluten-free roux.
You can make the chowder base ahead of time, but add the shrimp when you reheat it. Shrimp are best when they are freshly cooked.
Yes. Use firm white fish cut into chunks. Add it at the end and simmer gently until it flakes easily.
I do not recommend freezing it. Cream-based chowders can separate after thawing, and shrimp can get tough.
Creamy Shrimp Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 strips chopped bacon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 diced carrots
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or white rice flour for gluten-free
- 1 ¾ cups seafood stock, shrimp stock, fish stock, or low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, about 3 medium potatoes
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley, chives, or green onions, for garnish
- oyster crackers or saltines for serving
Instructions
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside for garnish. Leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the bacon fat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the top. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the vegetables are coated and the flour loses its raw taste.
- Slowly pour in stock while stirring. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits from the bacon and vegetables.
- Add the potatoes and thyme. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bring the chowder to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.Simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Turn the heat down to low. Pour in the heavy cream and stir gently. Add the Old Bay seasoning. Bring the chowder back to a gentle simmer, but do not let it boil.
- Add the shrimp. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with the crispy bacon and fresh parsley, chives, or green onions. Serve with oyster crackers or saltines.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.