Seafood Chowder Recipe

Our Seafood Chowder Recipe was featured in Pensacola News Journal & Bella magazine!

Caribbean Seafood Chowder

Courtesy of Chef Eric Troup, Margaritaville Beach Hotel

Yields 8 12-ounce servings

Ingredients

2 quarts fish stock

8 stone crab claws, steamed

2 middle neck clams

8 large Royal Red shrimp 

8 10/20 scallops

12 ounces roasted corn

1 leek, rinsed, sliced thin, use only white part

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, diced and roasted

12 ounces clam juice

1/3 cup tomato paste

1/3 cup red curry paste

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 medium pablano peppers, diced

2 medium red bell peppers, diced

12 ounces coconut milk

2 ounces garlic, minced

3 ounces ginger, pureed 

1 ounce olive oil

8 ounces white wine

3 ounces dry sherry

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

3 tablespoons blackening seasoning

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lime

Chowder

(Cooking tip: Chowder can be made a day in advance without seafood and kept refrigerated in airtight container.)

It is easier to do all of your dicing and measuring before you start cooking. Place all ingredients in separate containers near your stovetop. Heat a 4-quart stock pot to a medium-high heat.

Add olive oil, all peppers, onions, corn and leeks. Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until they just start to get some color. Add ginger and garlic, stir with wooden spoon. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add curry paste, tomato paste and blackening seasoning and mix well with vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Deglaze pan with white wine. There is a lot of flavor here, so be sure to use a wooden spoon to scrape bottom and sides to release all stuck particles. Reduce liquid by half. Add the coconut milk, sherry, clam juice and fresh thyme. Reduce liquid by one quarter. Add all fish stock and simmer for 1 hour.

Add sweet potatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, add a squeeze of lime at the end.

Seafood

(Cooking tip: Only prepare enough seafood to eat at one sitting. If you are eating it multiple days, repeat the seafood instructions just before eating the chowder. You do not want to overcook seafood.)

In a medium pan over medium high heat, add clams and 6 ounces of your chowder liquid and cover for 2 minutes. Add Royal Reds and stone crab claws and cook for 3 additional minutes covered. Lastly, add the scallops to the mix and cook for additional 2-3 minutes.

You will know when clams have popped open and shrimp are light red that it is finished. 

Plating