This creamy fish chowder recipe is special because it is roux-free! It isn't often you can have a gluten free New England-style chowder. And a special bonus, this soup is also lactose-free!
Grab a spoon and appetite because you are going to want seconds of this delicious fish chowder. I also include a video below so you can watch every step of making this easy chowder recipe! If you love hot soup as much as we do, you may want to check out all of my delicious gluten free soup recipes.
(*This post was sponsored by Clover Sonoma. All opinions and happiness about their Lactose-Free milk are my own.)
When is the last time you had chowder? Our family loved eating chowder before going gluten free. When I say loved, the chowder was the best form of comfort food for my son. My son went into mourning when he could no longer eat his favorite soup. When I made this fish chowder, I texted him a picture of it cooking so he knew he would have a treat when he got home.
He came home hungry, two bowls of this soup devoured...he seems to be in a perpetual growing phase. He also loves my homemade Gluten Free Clam Chowder recipe!
Most New England style chowders are made with a roux. Roux is a flour paste, made out of wheat flour. This paste is used to thicken the chowder.
I am really excited to share this recipe with you because it is completely possible to get that amazing creamy clam chowder flavor without lactose and without gluten!
I have been buying Clover milk for years. For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you know how much I love companies that give back. Both to their community, and the environment.
- Clover has remained conscious and careful about what goes into their products (and what doesn't) for three generations. This means you can feel good about serving Clover Sonoma's milk to your family!
- Clover has had a sustained commitment to natural dairy products including non-GMO and organic lines sourced from small, local farms.
- Their community giveback program, Clover Cares, gives at least 5% of their annual profits to support what's dear to them: Elevating Dairy, Empowering Future Generations, and Supporting their Community. (Coming from a non-profit background, this is huge for me!)
Instructions:
In a soup pot, add your oil, onion, and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in the potatoes and bacon and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the seasonings and cook 10 minutes until the potatoes are slightly softened.
Next, add the corn starch, cod fillets, milk. Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer another 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can easily freeze this fish chowder recipe. Use a freezer-safe container and make sure it is sealed completely. To defrost the fish chowder, put it into a soup pot, cover, and warm on medium-low. Stir every few minutes until the soup is defrosted.
This chowder will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
You can use low-fat milk but note your soup may not be quite as creamy.
You can easily make this soup into a clam chowder by adding clams and clam juice, or you can check out my gluten free clam chowder recipe linked above.
Dipping breads:
- Paleo Biscuits
- Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
- Gluten Free Crackers
- Float these Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers in the soup!
Variations:
- Change the seafood from Cod to clams, shrimp, or any of your favorite fish.
- Mix it up by using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. This will add a little more sweetness, which would taste great with the fresh sage!
Reader rave:
Very yummy, takes a little while to put together . Make when you have time & patience 😅"
Joye H., Pinterest user
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📖 Recipe
New England Style Fish Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 cups Clover Lactose Free Whole Milk
- 3 cod filets
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 cups potatoes diced
- 5 slices bacon cooked, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage (use 1 teaspoon if using dried sage)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme ( use 1 teaspoon if using dried)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a skillet, add oil and onion. Sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add potatoes and cooked bacon. Mix well.
- Add seasonings and cornstarch and cook for 10 minutes.
- Next, add the milk and cod filets. (You can add the cod filets whole because they will break up when they are cooked. You can also put the fish in frozen if your fish is not defrosted.)
- Cover and bring to a boil, on medium heat and allow to gently boil for 10 minutes.
- Turn temperature to simmer and allow to cook another 20 minutes until done.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Lea
Made this tonight with tilapia and it turned out GREAT!! We added a bit more salt and pepper. I will definitely make it again! Thank you!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked the recipe Lea! I would love it if you have time to star rate the recipe. Thank you so much.
Dana
I love this! It's so important to create classics that people with dietary restrictions can enjoy. I avoided clam chowder for a long time after going pescetarian because of the bacon, but recently came up with a pescetarian-friendly recipe that uses smoked kipper fillets instead. Same smokey and salty flavor, and still just as scrumptious! This looks fabulous. I'm sure people who can't have gluten or lactose are singing your praises right now.
Sandi Gaertner
I love your bacon free recipe. It would be great for those who don't eat pork.
Haley D Williams
Well this sounds like just what I have been craving! Cannot want to have a big bowl!
Sandi Gaertner
Glad to help Haley 🙂
Marjory
Big chowder fans and I can't wait to try this. It sounds fantatic. We try to avoid gluten as much as possible and this sounds perfect!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you are going to try it Marjory. Let me know what you think 🙂