Fish Chowder – Fulton Market-Style Comfort

There’s something special about the smell of a fish chowder simmering away on the stove. It’s like a warm memory from a seaside town, even if you’re just in your cozy Connecticut kitchen. And this one? It’s inspired by an old Fulton Fish Market chowder recipe from way back – New York seafood roots with a little Mediterranean soul.

I started making this years ago after obsessing over the bouillabaisse at Saybrook Fish House in Canton (still on the lunch menu – yes, I checked). This chowder is like bouillabaisse’s mellow cousin: no cream, no thickeners, just a flavor-packed broth with a little saffron magic and a whole lotta seafood love.

🐟 What Makes This Chowder Different?

• No cream, no roux – just broth-based goodness

• Aromatic with saffron and thyme

• Packed with fish, crab, shrimp (add lobster or scallops if you’re feeling fancy)

• Great for dunking crusty French bread

• Inspired by a classic market recipe (Fulton Fish Market, anyone?)

1.5 hours/moderately easy/8 servings

nutrition per serving:

244 calories, 28g protein, 18g carbs, 5g fat, 4g sugar

(based on the use of crabmeat, cod and shrimp)

ingredients

• • ½ cup olive oil

  • 2 large onions, diced

  • 2 leeks (white/light green only), thinly sliced

  • 2 celery stalks, diced

  • ¼ cup finely chopped garlic

  • 1 cup canned plum tomatoes, drained, seeded & diced

  • 1 tsp saffron threads*

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 tbsp dried thyme

  • 1½ tsp salt

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • ½ cup dry white wine

  • 2 quarts fish stock or seafood broth*

  • 2 white potatoes, peeled & diced

  • 8 oz lump crab meat

  • 1 lb cod, cut into chunks

  • ½ lb fresh shrimp, peeled & deveined

  • Optional: lobster pieces, scallops, other firm white fish

  • Optional: French baguette or croutons, for serving

directions

1. In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add onions, leeks, and celery. Sauté until translucent, about 6 minutes.

3. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, saffron, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. Pour in white wine and simmer for 4–5 minutes, until nearly evaporated.

5. Add fish stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes.

6. Stir in diced potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, until fork-tender.

7. If using lobster, add it now—it needs a few more minutes than the fish.

8. Add cod and shrimp. Simmer just until cooked (don’t overdo it – no rubbery fish allowed!).

9. Gently stir in lump crab meat, remove bay leaves, and taste for seasoning.

10. Serve piping hot, garnished with croutons or with a chunk of crusty baguette for dunking.

notes

*Saffron. What is it? It’s the stigmas (threads) of the Crocus sativus (saffron crocus) plant. You can crush the threads or leave them whole, adding them to dishes (these beauties are red but make things yellow-orange and vibrantly beautiful!) Saffron is used in dishes but is also used in medicine – lots of positive health benefits.

I need to let you know that saffron is one of the more expensive spices. This is so because the saffron threads are picked by hand! One crocus bulb produces 3 stigmas, and for 1 gram of saffron, it takes 200 flowers. Harvesting saffron is labor intensive, thus the price tag. But WORTH it! You can find saffron in many stores today.

I use a mortar and pestle to crush the threads down a bit before adding them the dishes. Once the saffron hits the hot liquid, BAM. It doesn’t just add color to your dish! More importantly, it’ll add a sweet, floral flavor to your dishes.

And I use saffron in my Arroz Con Pollo dish! Check it out HERE!

*Let’s talk about fish stock. I know it’s sometimes hard to find. I actually just used fish broth – broth is typically not as deep of a flavor as stock, but it works in this dish. You can always make your own stock if you have the time and know-how. I found fish broth next to the other broths/stocks in the market. I also see seafood broth in the market – whatever you can find will work. Just don’t use chicken or beef broth. Now THAT would change this dish! LOL

So this chowder is similar to a bouillabaisse – Lou calls it bouillabaisse’s kissing cousin. 😉 The differences are this – bouillabaisse doesn’t typically have potatoes, and has fennel, citrus zest, perhaps some cayenne and I typically see (and LOVE) shell fish in the bouillabaisse, like clams and mussels. If you’d like to add shell fish (I’m not gonna stop you!) you would put the shell fish in at the end and let them open up before removing the entire pot off the heat to serve.

For years our family would go to Saybrook Fishhouse in Canton, CT, and I would order the bouillabaisse most of the time! Kinda my jam! I just checked out their menu (as you should!) and I still see it on their lunch menu! Maybe I’ll take a ride…

Anyway! Off on a tangent! PLEASE try this fish chowder out, for sure. It’s not as complicated as a creamy chowder (you don’t have to thicken anything up) and not as involved like a bouillabaisse. And add a lot of fish to this dish. I love the white fish (get some good cod pieces!) and the shrimp adds a great textural element, never mind a tasty bite! I get a can of lump crabmeat and throw some of that goodness in (I dont use a whole can, but I do admit, I snack on the extra crab as I’m cooking!) Just don’t overcook the fish. Overcooked fish gets rubbery, and you don’t want that.

By the way, this recipe was inspired by an old Fulton Fish Market chowder recipe from years ago. Fulton Fish Market is an old school New York wholesale market experience, one of the country’s first open-air fish markets, opening in 1822. Read more about Fulton Fish Market here and here. Great reading.

🥖 Don’t Forget…

This soup BEGS for bread. Tear off a hunk of warm baguette and dunk away. Better yet, invite a few friends over and serve big bowls with a side of stories. You’ll be ladling comfort into every spoonful.