Quick Fish Chowder With Hot Butter Crackers

By Sue Li

Updated February 10, 2026

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
25 min
Rating
5(368)
Comments
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As easy as it is delicious, this chowder bypasses celery in favor of fennel, which gives the soup a little anise flavor and some extra heft. The vegetables are thinly sliced and cooked together to help speed up the cooking process; using a mandoline can accelerate your prep even more. Half-and-half is a lighter option than heavy cream and helps finish the soup with a little richness. Cod is recommended here (or flounder or halibut, depending on what’s available), but feel free to substitute with shrimp or clams, adjusting cook times as needed. The crushed saltines are flavored with hot paprika, which is a smoky substitute for the bacon that is usually found in a classic chowder. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the chowder

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 large fennel bulb with some green stems (about 12 ounces), trimmed and sliced (about 4 cups)

  • 12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (2 to 3), thinly sliced into rounds

  • 1 large shallot (4 ounces), thinly sliced

  • 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless cod fillet (or flounder or halibut), cut into 1-inch pieces

  • ¼ cup half-and-half

For the crackers

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 ½ teaspoons hot or smoked paprika

  • Kosher salt 

  • 12 to 15 saltine crackers

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Prepare the chowder: Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter is foamy, add the fennel, potatoes, shallot and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel and shallots are slightly translucent and softened, 4 to 5 minutes. 

    2. Step 2

      Add the clam juice and 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot with a lid, adjust the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. 

    3. Step 3

      While the soup is simmering, prepare the crackers: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the paprika and turn off the heat. Lightly crush the saltines into the saucepan in small bite-size pieces and toss to coat in the seasoned butter. Season with salt and set aside. 

    4. Step 4

      Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the cod and half-and-half, raise the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the cod is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

    5. Step 5

      Divide the chowder among bowls and top with the seasoned crackers.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
368 user ratings
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Comments

BayAreaKook

The Challenge: No Fennel or Shallots. The Solution: Used Celery and Leeks. I also had 1.5 cups of fish stock in the fridge so I included that as well. The flavor profile was definitely onion forward. However, the butter crackers IS a great element for texture and it balanced/rounded out the dish. This recipe is so forgiving. Would make it again especially during a weeknight.

SPD

Any reason you couldn’t combine cod, clams & shrimp for seafood chowder?

Jake L

Very good recipe! I found I didn’t need to cover it at step 4 with the half-and-half. Keeping it uncovered and gently simmering for a few minutes helped prevent the broth from breaking while the fish cooked through.

Betsy

My boyfriend and I just made this recipe for the fifth time. It is one of our favorites. It is an amazing dish considering how quickly it comes together. We followed the recipe closely the first time and used cod. We loved it. Subsequently, we substituted tilapia. It was very good, but not as good. Cod is the perfect fish for this recipe. However, we did find that oysters work wonderfully alongside it. At some point, we started adding about a quarter cup of soy sauce (note that we always double

Stacey

I didn’t have enough fennel so I listened to some of you and put in some carrot instead. I used dark purple carrots from our CSA, which I do not recommend. Had some delicious purple chowder tonight. ;) Anyway, the other thing I’d recommend is to use oyster crackers instead of saltines so the size is more uniform.

Marjory Smeaton

These crackers are to die for! A regular with soup.

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