Name: The BEST Smoked Salmon Chowder
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 slices bacon, diced; 1/4 cup butter; 1/3 cup flour; 2 cups water, or enough to cover potatoes; 3 large potatoes, diced; 1 small onion, diced; 2 bay leaves; 1 tbsp lovage, or 2 stalks celery, diced; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1 cup smoked salmon; 6 cloves garlic, minced

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Homemade Smoked Salmon Chowder is a filling and healthy dish that’s perfect for warming up on cold days and satisfying even the hungriest stomachs! With the classic flavors of smoked salmon, bacon, and potatoes, this chowder is bursting with flavor.

If you’re looking for the very best Smoked Salmon Chowder recipe, you just found it. Graham’s been in the kitchen again and he’s come up with this delicious and healthy salmon chowder.

Why You’ll Love Smoked Salmon Chowder

We’ve included the recipe for you so you can make it for your own family!

For those who don’t know, a chowder is a soup prepared with milk or cream. It is thickened by way of crushed crackers or biscuits or by using a roux. A roux is a mixture of fat and liquid and it is used to thicken soups or stews.

Since we do a lot of fishing, we often enjoy eating salmon here. We love to home smoke a lot of our fish, whether it is salmon or trout. Then we pressure can batches of smoked fish so we can enjoy it whenever we like.

Here’s how we pressure can salmon and other fish. Graham used a jar of this smoked salmon to make his chowder, but you can buy cans of smoked salmon at your grocery store or online here on Amazon.

This smoked salmon chowder is a great twist on the classic clam chowder, which is also very good.

Smoked Salmon Chowder Ingredients

Ingredients for Smoked Salmon Chowder Soup. — Ingredients assembled and ready to go, so let’s start making our Salmon Chowder.

bacon – pairs well with the smoky, salty flavor of the salmon.
butter – used to make the roux for this smoked salmon chowder.
flour – helps the roux thicken, giving you a creamy and delicious end result.
potatoes – the perfect addition to any chowder for their soft texture when cooked. Russet potatoes work best, but you can also use red potatoes.
onion – provide some extra flavor.
bay leaves – be sure to remove them before serving!
lovage – you can also use celery.
salt and pepper
smoked salmon – the star of this delicious chowder!
garlic

How to Make Salmon Chowder

Dice the bacon and then fry it until cooked. Not too crispy! Remove from the fry pan and set it aside for a moment.
Make sure not to crisp up the bacon too much or it may get tough or mess with the consistency of your chowder.
Dice the potatoes and add to frying pan. Add the garlic and just lightly fry together. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and cook until soft.
There’s nothing better than the smell of garlic cooking!
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter on low to medium heat. Add the flour and whisk the two together well. Add the milk and mix well.
A roux is so easy to make with just butter, flour, and milk.
Add the diced fried bacon. Turn the heat to low.
Once potatoes are soft, add to the saucepan. Add the cooking water too. Stir well.
Adding the water the potatoes cooked in gives your chowder a big boost of flavor and texture from the starch!
Now add the diced onion, lovage (or celery), salt and black pepper.
Add smoked salmon and bay leaves, then mix well.
Bay leaves add a lot of great flavor but aren’t great to eat, so be sure to remove them before serving your chowder.

Cooking the Chowder
Cover the saucepan and bring the chowder to a low boil. Keep stirring occasionally, so the chowder does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Don’t forget to stir it from time to time!
Let the chowder thicken. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Then serve in a large bowl with hearty buns or crusty bread along with a side salad. Enjoy.
This smoked salmon chowder pairs perfectly with some rolls or a side salad!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where it will last for several days.

Chowder Variations and Serving Suggestions

Stir in some creamed corn for extra color and flavor.
Top with crushed crackers or shredded cheddar cheese.
Serve with rolls, buns, or biscuits. This chowder would also be delicious served with a side salad.
For an even creamier texture, substitute a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream for some of the milk.
Other delicious additions to this would be some chicken broth, red pepper flakes, scallions, jalapenos, carrots, dill weed, chicken stock or even some cream cheese.

More Recipe Suggestions

Our entire Country Living in a Cariboo Valley Recipe Collection can be found here, and here are some more fantastic comfort food recipes hand-picked for you!

This Almond Butter Cake is a Dutch treat and we’ve been making it for years.
If you love Feta cheese and you love Garlic, here’s an appetizer recipe for you to try: Feta Cheese and Garlic Dip.
This Ham and Bean Slow Cooker Soup will be sure to be a hit on cold days.
Here’s a recipe for Clam Chowder you will love!

Homemade Salmon Chowder Recipe

If you enjoy this chowder recipe, please be sure to rate it 5 stars below! And print this off or save it to your recipes folder!