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Oregon Manhattan Seafood Chowder

The Cannon Beach catch in a tomato base — and a fish broth built free from the shells

Serves 4–6 · 40 min

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  • The fish broth — from the shells
  • shells from the lobster & shrimp (heads too, if you have them)
  • 1 Tbsp oil or butter
  • ½ onion · 1 celery rib · 2 garlic cloves (all rough-chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste (optional — deepens color & body)
  • splash white wine (optional) · 1 bay leaf · parsley stems · a few peppercorns
  • 6–8 cups water, to cover
  • The chowder
  • 3 slices bacon, diced — or ~4 oz pork belly in ½″ lardons (see note), or 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 onion · 2 celery ribs · 1 carrot · 1 pepper — all diced
  • 2 garlic cloves · 1 bay leaf · 1 tsp thyme · ½ tsp oregano
  • 2 potatoes (Yukon), ½″ dice
  • 1 can (28 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes (or 2 lb garden tomatoes)
  • 4–5 cups the fish broth (swap in ~1 cup clam juice for extra brine — see note)
  • The seafood — any or all
  • 1 lb clams (in shell, scrubbed — or shucked/canned)
  • 1 lb mussels, scrubbed & debearded (optional — see prep)
  • 1 lb cod, cut in 1″ cubes
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled (shells → the broth)
  • 1 lb lobster meat, chunked (shells → the broth)
  • parsley · lemon · salt · pepper · hot sauce
What you need
  1. Make the broth — sear the shells. Easiest, all in one pot: sear the whole shell-on shrimp and lobster in the oil over medium-high until the shells turn deep pink-red and the meat just firms, then pull them out early — still underdone — and peel: set the meat aside for the end, drop the shells back into the pot. (Peeled raw already? Just brown the bare shells the same way.) Once the shells are toasty, add the onion, celery, garlic, and tomato paste for a minute, deglaze with the wine, then add the bay, parsley stems, peppercorns, and water to cover.
  2. Simmer 30–45 min, then strain. Gentle simmer — not a hard boil — for 30–45 min, then strain out the solids. Shellfish stock turns bitter if you push it much past that, unlike a long meat stock.
  3. Start the chowder. Render the bacon (or pork-belly lardons) in a pot until crisp; pour off excess fat, leaving a couple tablespoons. Soften the onion, celery, carrot, and pepper in it, ~6–8 min, then add the garlic, bay, thyme, and oregano.
  4. Build the base & cook the potatoes. Add the tomatoes and 4–5 cups of the fish broth, then the potatoes. Simmer 15–20 min until the potatoes are tender and the broth tastes deep. Season with salt, pepper, and a little hot sauce — get the base right now, before the delicate seafood goes in.
  5. Add the seafood last, longest-first. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer and add in order:
    · Clams & mussels (in shell) first — cover and steam until they open (clams 5–7 min, mussels faster at 3–5, so add mussels a couple minutes after the clams); discard any that stay shut. (Shucked/canned clams go in with the shrimp instead.)
    · Cod next — nestle the cubes in and cook 4–5 min, stirring gently so it doesn't break.
    · Shrimp — 2–3 min, just to pink.
    · Lobster (already cooked) — last, 1–2 min, only to warm through.
  6. Finish. Off the heat: parsley, a squeeze of lemon, and the crisp bacon back on top. Taste for salt. Serve with the cornbread or crusty French bread.
Steps — tap one to keep your place

No alcohol? swap the wine or beer for the same amount of stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon for the brightness. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.

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