Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder with Cauliflower | Rich, Creamy & Lightened Up

Hello, welcome to Kelly’s Kitchen. Today, I have a rich and hearty chowder with tons of veggies and cod, in a flavorful and creamy broth. The special thing about this chowder is that it doesn’t contain any dairy. It’s a Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder. We get a creamy chowder broth by pureeing cauliflower. It’s a handy trick for all kinds of cream-based soups if you want to cut out the dairy. We may not have dairy, but we have bacon! And we have green veggies, which really make this soup look, feel, and taste like your new favorite chowder. Let’s get going!

Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder Ingredients

Building the Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder Base

Step 1: Cook the Bacon

Start by cooking 4-5 strips of chopped bacon in a Dutch oven or other large pot. When the bacon is slightly crisp and browned, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, leaving the accumulated bacon fat behind.

Step 2: Prepare the Cauliflower Base

While the bacon is cooking, slice the 1-pound cauliflower in half. Remove the core and base. Then chop up one of the halves. Set the other half aside for now.

Then we have fresh minced thyme, one bay leaf, and two 8-ounce bottles of clam juice. This will make up the base that we will puree. Turn the heat up under the pot with the reserved bacon fat and stir the minced thyme and bay leaf into the bacon fat. Stir and sauté the herbs for about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped half of the cauliflower. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and about 1/4 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper. Add the two bottles of clam juice.

Step 3: Cook and Blend the Base

Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the cauliflower cook until it falls apart when poked with a fork. About 10 minutes. Cut the heat and remove the bay leaf. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.

Step 4: Build the Chowder

Add the cauliflower puree back to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Pour in the remaining 1 bottle of clam juice and 1 cup of water.

Then add the potatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Assembling the Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder

Step 5: Add Cauliflower Florets and Cod

While the potatoes are cooking, cut the remaining half of the cauliflower into small florets. When the potatoes are just tender, stir the cauliflower florets into the soup. Stir and season with a pinch of kosher salt.

Then, submerge the cod pieces in the soup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the cod flakes easily with a fork.

Step 6: Add the Greens and Vegetables

Now, gently stir in the frozen corn, fresh chopped spinach, and sliced snow peas. Very gently stir and cook just until the spinach is wilted. Cut the heat.

Finishing Touches

Step 7: Season and Brighten

Off heat, add the diced jalapeño (if using), and stir in the juice of half a lemon. Taste the chowder and season with more kosher salt if needed.

Step 8: Serve

We are ready to serve. Ladle a serving of the Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder into a bowl. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top. Then sprinkle a tablespoon or so of the cooked bacon pieces on top.

While this Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder is hearty, rich in flavor and textures, it’s very light. Chunky bites of potato and cauliflower, tender cod, with crisp bites of snow pea, punctuated with sweet bites of corn, plus the smooth cauliflower-based broth—this chowder really has it all! Don’t forget the salty, crispy bites of bacon!

I hope you give this Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder a try; it’s a perfect fall and early winter soup. With fresh flavors and textures, it’s creamy without the cream, so it satisfies like a hearty New England Chowder, but it’s light and won’t weigh you down. Even if you can tolerate cream-based soups, this is a wonderfully light chowder that I am sure you’ll love! For another great fall/winter dish, try my 40-Minute Fall Soup You’ll Make on Repeat.

Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Kelly Djalali

Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder

A rich, hearty seafood chowder made dairy-free with pureed cauliflower for a creamy broth. Loaded with cod, bacon, potatoes, and fresh vegetables—comforting without the heaviness.

Makes: 6 Servings

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Ingredients:  

• 4-5 Bacon Slices chopped
• 1 tsp. Minced Fresh Thyme
• 1 lb. Cauliflower Florets chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, divided
• 3 8- oz. Bottles of Clam Juice divided
• Pinch of Kosher Salt plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper plus more to taste
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 cup Water
• 1.5 lbs. Red Potatoes unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 lb. Skinless Cod Fillets 1-inch thick, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach chopped
• 1 cup Frozen Corn
• 1 cup Sliced Snow Peas each pea sliced into thirds
• 1 Jalapeño Pepper diced (optional)
• Juice of Half a Lemon
• Fresh Chopped Parsley

Instructions: 

• Start by cooking 4-5 strips of chopped bacon in a Dutch oven or other large pot. When the bacon is slightly crisp and browned, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, leaving the accumulated bacon fat behind.
• Turn the heat up under the pot with the reserved bacon fat and stir the minced thyme and bay leaf into the bacon fat. Stir and sauté the herbs for about 30 seconds. Then add half of the chopped cauliflower. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and about 1/4 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper. Add two bottles of clam juice.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the cauliflower cook until it falls apart when poked with a fork, about 10 minutes. Cut the heat and remove the bay leaf. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Add the cauliflower puree back to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Pour in the remaining 1 bottle of clam juice and 1 cup of water. Then add the potatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 10-15 minutes.
• When the potatoes are just tender, stir the remaining cauliflower florets into the soup. Stir and season with a pinch of kosher salt. Then, submerge the cod pieces in the soup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the cod flakes easily with a fork.
• Now, gently stir in the frozen corn, fresh chopped spinach, and sliced snow peas. Very gently stir and cook just until the spinach is wilted. Cut the heat.
• Off heat, add the diced jalapeño (if using), and stir in the juice of half a lemon. Taste the chowder and season with more kosher salt if needed.
• Sprinkle individual servings with fresh chopped parsley and bacon pieces.

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About The Author

Kelly Djalali

Kelly is our 40s+ fashion & food contributor. She posts a Daily Look on Tuesdays, writes about Fashion on Thursdays, joins Beth for Fridays with Oscar and shares a new recipe on Sunday.

She’s 48, 5’0, and a petite 0/XS.

Kelly also has a food blog called Djalali Cooks, which you can find by clicking the world icon below.

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