Homemade New England Style Seafood Chowder (Stew)

When I come across fresh seafood in my travels I will always find a way to prepare it for my family and friends.  This is an easy, fast and hearty New England style seafood chowder (stew) that takes minutes to prepare and your family will truly enjoy it.  It features a flavorful combination of clams, shrimp, lobster, oysters, and (optional) scallops (I didn’t have scallops).  This is such a treat when the weather is poor and you need that warmth of a great chowder to rid your body of that chill.  Most people don’t realize that Shrimp contains a good amount of protein, they are low in calories and high in certain vitamins and minerals like niacin and selenium. Clams are a low fat, high protein seafood choice with an above average amount of healthful minerals such as selenium, zinc, iron and magnesium and B vitamins like niacin.  Oysters are packed with nutrition, they are high in calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B-12, zinc, and iron. Lobster is low in Saturated fat. It is also a good source of Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid and Phosphorus, Protein, Zinc, Copper, and Selenium. The bad news is most kinds of seafood are high in Sodium, and very high in Cholesterol. So, like everything else that’s really good in life, moderation is key!

Prep Time: 10 minutes      Cook Time: 15 minutes    Servings 6

Ingredients:

• 12 large Blue Point oysters, shucked
• 12 large (U-8) shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 12 2″ Cherrystone Clams
• 8 ozs. Maine Lobster
• 8 ozs. bay (small) or sea scallops (large) (optional)
• 2 large pre-cooked baked potatoes, diced
• 6 Slices of bacon chopped into small pieces
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups Half & Half
• 2 cups whole milk

Directions:

• In a large stew pot over medium-high heat, add chopped bacon and cook until brown and crispy.
• Remove excess bacon fat, discard or save for another recipe.
• Add butter and combine.
• Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, allow mixture to sweat for 1 minute while keeping it moving in the pot.
• Add flour and blend thoroughly with the mixture, cook for another minute.
• Add shallot, salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, and Smoked Paprika and combine.
• Add Half & Half and Heavy Cream and whisk to combine.
• Add the clams first and allow to cook 1 minute.
• Add shrimp, lobster, and oysters while increasing heat to medium-high allow to cook for 3 minutes.
• Add milk and potatoes and combine.
• When the clams fully open, it is a good indication that the other ingredients are cooked as well.
• Serve with Oyster Crackers and garnished with Parsley.  Bon Appetit!!!