Keto Seafood Chowder: Creamy Bacon and Fish Soup Without the Potato
In short
Comfort food for a cold day, with no potato, flour or sugar. Render 4 slices of chopped bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan and set it aside, soften half an onion and 2 cubed swedes in the fat, then simmer them in 2½ cups of chicken stock with salt, pepper and thyme. Add a pound of seafood for about 5 minutes, then stir in 1½ cups of cream and 2 tablespoons of butter, heat it through and finish with the crispy bacon.
Key points
- What you need: 4 slices of bacon, half an onion, 2 swedes (turnips, or rutabaga in the US), 2½ cups of chicken broth or stock, 1½ cups of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of butter, thyme, ¾ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and a pound of seafood.
- Swede replaces the potato. It does the thickening job potato normally would. We don’t do potato around these parts.
- A little cheat. I used one fresh swede plus some swede mash I’d made earlier and kept in the freezer.
- Any seafood works. I used salmon, whiting and a few prawns, but white fish, prawns, salmon or clams are all fine.
- Bacon first. Cook it in a heavy-bottomed pan to render the fat, then set it aside and cook the onion and swede in that pan so you keep all the flavour on the bottom.
- Give the swede time. Simmer it in the stock for about 10 minutes so it starts to break down before the seafood goes in.
- Don’t overcook the fish. About 5 minutes is enough. Cook it too long and it breaks up and disappears, and you want nice chunks left.
- Thick or soupy, your call. Stir in a few spoons of almond flour if you want it thicker. I kept mine soupy because it had been a cold old day.
Chowder is usually thickened with potato, and potato’s off the cards when you’re cutting carbs. In this video I make a keto seafood chowder that uses swede (turnip, or rutabaga if you’re in the US) instead, with bacon, cream and a mix of fish and prawns. It’s warm, rich and proper comfort food, with no potato, flour or sugar in it.
Method in brief
- Chop 4 slices of bacon and cook them in a heavy-bottomed pan to render out the fat. When the bacon is nicely browned, set it to one side.
- Chop half an onion and 2 swedes. Add them to the pan and cook until the onion is tender, scraping up the bacon bits on the bottom.
- Pour in 2½ cups of chicken stock or broth and simmer for about 10 minutes so the swede starts to break down.
- Mix the seasonings and stir them in: ¾ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and the thyme (the recipe in the video description lists ½ teaspoon of dried thyme).
- Add a pound of seafood (I used salmon, whiting and prawns) and cook for about 5 minutes, until the fish is mostly cooked through but still in chunks.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1½ cups of heavy cream, then return it to the heat until you see bubbles around the outside.
- If you want it thicker, stir in a few tablespoons of almond flour. Otherwise, keep it soupy.
- Sprinkle the crispy bacon over the top and serve.
What it tastes like
Magnificent. Bacon and prawn, what’s better? It’s so tasty and so rich, and just the thing on a cold night. Give it a crack.
Swede is one of my favourite potato swaps. Watch me use it on its own in my low carb mashed potato, or see my low carb French fries. For another hearty dinner, try my Philly cheese steak casserole, and if you want to know why spuds are off the menu in the first place, read why I avoid bread, rice and pasta.
New to all this? Grab the free Carb Guide, or watch my story and how I lost 23kg in four months.
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Not medical advice. I'm not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist, just a bloke telling the story of what worked for me. Check with your doctor before changing your diet or medication.
