Lobster Chowder
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:12 servings
- 8tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1medium onion, chopped in ½-inch dice
- 3large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 6cups lobster broth (or cold water)
- ½teaspoon sea salt
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5pounds steamed and shucked lobster, claws intact, tails cut in large bite-size pieces
- 3cans evaporated milk
- 1teaspoon dried basil
- 1cup milk or cream, if necessary
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
427 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 40 grams protein; 1009 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a large pot over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion, stir, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and 6 cups broth or water, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add about a third of the lobster and sauté for about a minute or so. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining lobster and butter.
- Step 3
Add lobster to onion and potato mixture; stir over medium heat. Add canned milk and basil, taste, and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper. If mixture is too thick, add milk or cream. Serve.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Becca
I agree with AlanZelt— 12 servings is a "side dish" serving size. If this is to be a MEAL, which it would be for any real Mainer, it will only serve max, 6. Folks grab a good cup to 2 cups of any stew / chowder here in Maine.
I know in restaurants, it's an appetizer, but at home, it's THE MEAL.
Steve
1 lb of meat
alanzelt
Why is this recipe scaled for 12? Isn't four or six more human sized?
Sue Ryan
If I had the money to buy 5 pounds of lobster meat I would not be cooking. I'd be sitting on a boardwalk somewhere by a lobster shack, eating a 3 pound steamed lobster with butter and believe me, I would eat the lot of it.
MJS
Making stock (broth) is fun. At a minimum, lobster shells, salt, onion and tomato. I’m making some now and also threw in fennel and corn cobs. Some kind of fat is good too (butter, bacon, etc.) Lots of water and let it boil down. When you’re ready, remove large chunks and run your stock through a sieve. If you really want to be fancy, put some cheese cloth in your sieve. What you don’t use now, freeze and use later.
Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor
This recipe is intended for a crowd, but you could half or third the ingredients accordingly.
Angie
I like my chowders thicker so I added 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp of flour to the cold water and mixed in good. I did not use onion. My family, as well as myself really liked this recipe. Plus this was my first time making lobster chowder!
Maine Gurl
I’m sorry but that MAY be a seafood chowder. Lobster chowder? Yuck! 8-10 haad shell lobstas cooked and picked. Couple sticks a buttah Sauté until the buttahs nicen orange. Slowly (or fast lay) add about a Gallon o whole milk. Warm it up nice’n hot(don’t boil) shut her down. Leave uncovered til cool. Throw a cova on it and stick’er in the refaa-ova night. Reheat nice & slow. Serve wicked hot with oysta crackas. Enjoy
Julia
Is that 5 lbs of lobster without the shells?
Kaspian
This was superb with about ~1 lb of Langostino lobster tails (Costco). I made my own broth with a dozen shrimp shells and the water released by the thawing lobster, plus the usual veggie suspects. Added minced leek w/ the onion. Added parm rind to cooking taters. Made a roux from sautéed lobster butter, which added some much-needed heft to the base. Used half and half instead of canned milk; just poured in until it looked right. Fresh basil instead of dried. Cheese on top! Fed 3 +lunch leftovers
Devin
After making this it was pretty thin. I made a roux with about 6 tbsp each of butter and flour, and added the broth from the chowder to thin it out before mixing it in to the chowder and it helped a lot.
Pat
Excellent! I added 4 fresh bay leaves and a couple shakes of red pepper flakes to the pot. My husband put a little sherry in his portion. YUM!!
Joyce
I love this recipe! And when I make it for my carb hating friends I use cauliflower (add the florets very near the finish so they have a little "tooth). Celery root also works.
Liz
Perfect as written, no need for the cream. I used 6 lobster, a little sautéed bacon may have been nice, but really not necessary.
Carol
How big are the cans of evaporated milk? 8 oz? 4 oz?
Becky
This recipe tastes great, but it’s INCREDIBLY thin. I made a roux with 5 T of butter and flour and it didn’t help at all.
Dawn
This recipe is so good! One of the best chowders I have tasted—and being from the East Coast have tasted many!
Aj
We bought 5 lbs of fresh lobster, steamed them, removed the meat and then simmered the shells with 2 C chicken broth and 2 C water to make a stock for the soup. When it was time to add the evaporated milk and broth, we realized it would be way too much liquid for the amount of potato and lobster meat, so we only used 2 cans of the milk with the 6 C of the stock. It was still way too thin so I made a roux and added that to the soup which helped. I also added a splash of white wine at the end.
Janet
Lobster stock traditionally uses tomato paste. This accounts for the red tinge in the broth in the photo.
John
I halved the potato portion and added 3 cups of Olathe corn….absolutely wonderful….a keeper recipe
Kaspian
This was superb with about ~1 lb of Langostino lobster tails (Costco). I made my own broth with a dozen shrimp shells and the water released by the thawing lobster, plus the usual veggie suspects. Added minced leek w/ the onion. Added parm rind to cooking taters. Made a roux from sautéed lobster butter, which added some much-needed heft to the base. Used half and half instead of canned milk; just poured in until it looked right. Fresh basil instead of dried. Cheese on top! Fed 3 +lunch leftovers
Julia
Is that 5 lbs of lobster without the shells?
JM
I would like more comments from those who have made this recipe exactly as given, not the adaptations. I will try it as it is written as soon as I can, and then comment.
Liz
I made it as written and liked it very much, no need to thicken the broth. This is how they serve chowder in Maine.
rheumcook
Definitely add flour to thicken
Kathy
Can you use coconut milk and cream in place of evaporated milk?
Kathy
That's what I've done ...
Kristine
I don’t know why I shudder at the thought of evaporated milk in my food. Maybe because it reminds me of baby formula back in the day. Would heavy cream be a good substitution?
Kaspian
I used half n half (didn't have heavy cream) and it was great! Not as much as the amount of milk called for, though, and I did also thicken the soup with a roux. As written, the base is pretty thin. Cream would work even better, methinks!
Maine Gurl
I’m sorry but that MAY be a seafood chowder. Lobster chowder? Yuck! 8-10 haad shell lobstas cooked and picked. Couple sticks a buttah Sauté until the buttahs nicen orange. Slowly (or fast lay) add about a Gallon o whole milk. Warm it up nice’n hot(don’t boil) shut her down. Leave uncovered til cool. Throw a cova on it and stick’er in the refaa-ova night. Reheat nice & slow. Serve wicked hot with oysta crackas. Enjoy
Kathy
Too funny! Thanks!
Pat
Excellent! I added 4 fresh bay leaves and a couple shakes of red pepper flakes to the pot. My husband put a little sherry in his portion. YUM!!
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
