Marye's Seafood Chowder

Name: Marye's Seafood Chowder
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped onions; 2 cups finely diced potatoes; ¾ cup butter (not margarine); ¾ cup flour (or potato flour — Marye's substitution note); 4 cups warmed half-and-half; 1 tsp salt, to taste; 1 dash pepper, to taste; ¼ to ½ tsp sugar; MARYE'S SEAFOOD-CHOWDER ADAPTATION (replaces the clams); ½ lb bay scallops (the small ones); ½ lb salad shrimp (pre-cooked); 1 lb bacon; 1 Tbsp garlic powder; ¼ Tbsp onion powder; 2 Tbsp lemon juice; 2 Tbsp honey

Marye Soups & Stews

Serves 6 Prep 20 min Cook 30 min

Marye's annotated printout of Ivar's Clam Chowder, converted to her Seafood Chowder.

Marye's adaptation of Ivar's Clam Chowder — Ivar's is a beloved Seattle seafood restaurant chain, and the printed recipe was a 30-minute, 6-serving Pacific Northwest classic. Marye crossed out the celery, annotated the flour as potato flour, and rewrote the front of the card with this Seafood-Chowder conversion: drop the clams, add bay scallops + salad shrimp + bacon (with all the bacon-grease scallop-sauté logic), and boost with garlic + onion powder, lemon juice, and honey.

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups finely diced potatoes
¾ cup butter (not margarine)
¾ cup flour (or potato flour — Marye's substitution note)
4 cups warmed half-and-half
1 tsp salt, to taste
1 dash pepper, to taste
¼ to ½ tsp sugar

MARYE'S SEAFOOD-CHOWDER ADAPTATION (replaces the clams)
½ lb bay scallops (the small ones)
½ lb salad shrimp (pre-cooked)
1 lb bacon
1 Tbsp garlic powder
¼ Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a large pot until crisp. Remove and crumble; reserve the bacon grease in the pot.
2. Sauté the bay scallops in the reserved bacon grease until just opaque — Marye's note explains why: "the scallops come raw, so you need to cook them; the salad shrimp is pre-cooked." Remove the scallops and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add the onions and potatoes with enough water to just cover. Simmer covered over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until it becomes a golden roux.
5. Gradually whisk the warmed half-and-half into the roux. Cook, whisking, until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. (For a thinner chowder, add ½ to ¾ cup water, chicken broth, or clam broth.)
6. Add the cooked vegetables (with their cooking liquid), the sautéed scallops, the pre-cooked salad shrimp, the crumbled bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper, and sugar.
7. Stir well and adjust seasonings to taste. Heat through and serve.

Notes

The original Ivar's Clam Chowder also includes 2 (6½ oz) cans minced clams and 1 cup finely diced celery (Marye crossed out the celery). If you want to make the unadapted clam version, add those back in place of the seafood and bacon, and skip the bacon-grease scallop sauté step.