Seafood Chowder

Seafood has been on my brain recently for some reason. Yesterday, we had shrimp with gnocchi, today we are having seafood chowder, and we are actually having Pollock for dinner in a couple of days. Maybe it is because we are starting to prepare to go away for a week to the beach or maybe it is just because I love seafood. In any case, this is my go-to seafood chowder recipe. I like to simmer this for a few hours to marry all of the flavors and get a nice, thick consistency without having to use flour as a thickening agent. I normally serve this with cheddar-garlic biscuits (not yet on my blog). YUM! You can really use 2 to 3 pounds of any raw seafood that you like. If I was cooking for just myself, I would add haddock to this but my husband is not a fan of it in chowder. You can substitute lobster stock or even chicken stock for the clam stock if needed.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 c onion, diced
• 1/3 c carrots, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c clam stock
• 4 to 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  
• 3 c corn, fresh off the cob is best
• Sea salt, to taste
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
  
• 1 c heavy cream
  
• 1/2 lb sea scallops, raw
• 1 lb crab, cooked or raw
  
• 1/2 lb shrimp, raw
• 1/4 c butter, melted
• 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 c shredded montery jack cheese

Directions:

• Heat oil over medium heat in a large stock pot. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook and stir until tender.
  
• Add clam stock to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
  
• Add cream, potatoes, corn, cayenne pepper, salt and lemon pepper. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
  
• Add the seafood to the soup. Simmer until shrimp are pink and scallops are opaque, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  
• Stir in butter, cheese, parsley and salt.
  
• Simmer for at least 1 hour before serving.
  
• Enjoy!