Salmon Chowder

Great recipe. I made it tastier and healthier as follows: skip the cheddar cheese all together, after the onion/celery, deglaze with a little white wine. Kick it up with some red pepper flakes. Must use fresh garlic and salmon. Don't pre-cook your salmon, there is no need. Add chunks in raw and then let it simmer, they cook very quickly and will also be much more tender in the finished soup. Also use fat free evaporated milk and thicken with corn starch. A splash of fresh green peas and Enjoy!!!

Very quick, rich and comforting. But definitely use FRESH salmon and fresh garlic. I've also used 1/2 smoked, 1/2 fresh salmon and the smokiness gave it a wonderful flavor, similiar to a good clam chowder. However, the one big thing I would change about this recipe is to reduce the amount of cheddar to 1 or 1.5 cups, otherwise the original recipe ends up tasting too much like cheddar soup. 1 cup cheese is enough to salt and thicken it nicely. Also, if making for company, I would eliminate the carrots - adds to much chunkiness to a dish that should be creamy and smooth. Also, if just using fresh salmon, add a few teaspoons of liquid smoke for a nicer aroma-- makes all the difference. This soup has been part of our regular rotation and is very healthy and kid friendly. My 4 and 1 yr. gobbles it up.

I really liked this recipe, but I did make a couple of changes. I used two 6-oz cans of boneless, skinless salmon, and it was plenty (I wonder if the "16-oz" can size is a mistake?). Also, I only used 1/4 lb. of cheddar instead of 1/2 lb., to help lower the fat content. It was very colorful and tasty. I'll definitely make it again.

Hello, I gave this recipe 5 stars after modifying it a bit. Thanks to all those posters before me for their advice! My husband now rates my version of this soup ("smoky salmon chowder") as his favorite soup we've tried thus far! The following changes make a "smoky" version of the original and requires liquid smoke. If you don't like that smoky flavor, you might not want to follow my advice. However, if you do like smoky flavor this is to die for! Use: 1 LB Fresh Salmon smoked on the barbecue; use 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic; omit the carrots; double the dill weed; use only 1 cup of real cheddar cheese; and finally, as the soup is finishing add TWO capfuls of Wright's Liquid Smoke into the soup. Serve with artisan bread and enjoy!!

Delicious! Will definitely become one of our regular rotations. I made a couple changes, but followed the recipe mostly. I used 3 single person size fillets of fresh salmon. Wrapped in foil and baked at 375 for 20 mins. I omitted the creamed corn (husband doesn't like it) and instead of Cheddar (I don't like the UK cheddar) used mozzarella. DELISH! Addtition: We tried this again without carrots and it was still great! IT FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY!! Can't even tell it was frozen. I defrosted on the counter for about 2hrs, then reheated in a saucepan.

This is a great recipe. I used the small 6 oz. cans of Salmon and fresh garlic instead of the garlic powder, and subsituted fat free evaporated milk to cut some of the fat. I also used a cheddar-jack cheese blend instead of just cheddar, and used only half the 8-oz bag (I passed the rest around upon serving). What a delicious and easy soup!! YUM!! My husband loved it!! Definitely a keeper!! Thanks!! :o)

The recipe, as listed, is more like cheese soup with salmon in it. Leave out the cheese, and you actually have a lovely salmon chowder. We prefer this without the cheese.

This was so good, that my '13-year-old-who's-so-picky-he-won't-eat-a-piece-of-chicken-because-a-mushroom-touched-it' liked it! And he hates salmon! WOW!!! What a winner. The rest of us loved it too.

This is a great recipe. I make a few changes but overall I keep it pretty close to the original. I use a little bit of olive oil for the onion, celery, and carrots instead of butter. And, I omit the evaporated milk and put some of the potatoes, celery, carrots and broth in my blender to thicken the soup. There's less calories and fat this way.

This was an excellent recipe. I made it for a late night dinner when we had guests coming over, and it was perfect with some french bread on the side. People were asking for seconds! I would recommend leaving out the salt because the recipe is salty already.

This was easy and VERY GOOD!! I used onion powder and celery salt instead of the called for ingredients. I also added garlic powder, tarragon and some parsley for color. A great chowder base even if you don't use salmon

This was VERY good. I made it for a group and it was a hit. I used fresh salmon that I baked prior, and it was yummy! Will defintely make again. Was more of a corn chowder with salmon.

really good. My husband loved it. I didn't use canned salmon. I pan fried fresh salmon in butter and olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Then broke the finished fish into bite size pieces and added it to the finished soup.

This was very good, especially considering my substitutions! I am on a no dairy diet, so I used unsweetened almondmilk instead of evaporated milk, and surprisingly, this soup was delicious!

AMAZING. I love getting salmon chowder when we're at a medium-high to high-end restaurant because those seem to be the only places that do a decent job of it - even here in the Seattle area where Alaskan salmon is abundant (don't get me started on that Atlantic salmon garbage). This recipe is as good, if not better than, those restaurants. Some may prefer a more creamy, less chunky chowder, but not me. Don't get me wrong, this chowder was very creamy too, but just not more cream than substance like some places make it. This was fantastic. My 4 year old twin girls gobbled it down and my 6 year old only hesitated a little bit because he has a weird thing against corn (who doesn't like corn? especially creamed corn? whatever). I will definitely be making this again. It's great comfort food - especially for all the grey, rainy days we get here in the great Pacific NW.

I think this chowder tasted great as is! Didn't have to change a thing! Also, @ MommyFromSeattle: how much do you think a half pound of cheese is? Let me break it down for you. 1 lb= 16 oz. 16/2= 8. 8 oz.= 1 cup.

This was truly a hit with my family! I used fresh salmon (just cut in chunks and add to the simmer), fresh garlic, shredded carrot ( a handful, which I added to the saute), double the dill and added about 1/2 cup white wine, basil, parsley and chives. Used a Mexican blend cheese (1 cup) and served with Cheddar Bay biscuits and a salad. Definitely plan on making this meal again. Leftovers were delicious as well. Thank you KENULIA.

I'm not a chowder fan and had canned salmon in the pantry, so I tried this. It is delicious! Try it with a few oz of smoked salmon chopped on top instead of the dill to really fancy it up. This one has become one of our favorite soups.

Fabulous! Even my salmon-hating father liked it! I used fat free evaporated milk, added 4 cloves fresh garlic in addition to the powder, and omitted the cheese, to much success. Like others, I deglazed the pan of onion/celery/garlic/butter with about 1/2 C white wine before adding the broth, etc. Also, I used 1.5 lbs fresh, uncooked salmon that the butcher skinned/chopped for me; the salmon cooked (aka became opaque and light pink) as the soup simmered, and then I brought the soup to a boil over medium heat again just to make sure it was safe to eat.

Outstanding! My family loved it! Only change I would make is adding maybe a 1/4 cup more of chicken broth. It was a little on the thick side. YUMMO!!!!

Oh my goodness is this good!!??? Just omitted the salt since I used chicken bouillion which is already salty, and left out the dill weed. Oh, and used a nice big hunk of fresh salmon filet (just threw the whole piece of fish in with the vegetables before simmering for the 20 minutes- it broke up nicely on it's own!) and fresh garlic as I strongly dislike garlic powder. Wow! Surprising how good this stuff is!!!!! Thank you for sharing this!!!!!

Super easy... and delicious! I used fresh garlic and salmon. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. YUMMY!

Easy and delicious! Definitely a keeper. I used fat-free evaporated milk and omitted the cheese (forgot it).

Very good, but also salty. Can leave out the salt with no bad effects. thanks for sharing!

Thanks Kenulia bit this was just OK for us. Following the advise of another reviewer I chose to omit the cheese which we normally would not include in a salmon chowder anyway. I used a fresh minced clove of garlic and fresh salmon in place of the garlic powder and canned salmon. If I make this again I would use less creamed corn because even with fresh salmon it seemed to overpower the dish. We thought it made it taste more like a corn chowder with a little salmon in it.

I buy a fillet of fresh salmon and use the tail section for this recipe, substituting it for the canned salmon the recipe calls for. I've made it twice and it has been terrific each time. My son-in-law ate three bowls of it last night.

I followed the recipe exactly and it was truly fabulous! This is a new staple chowder for me. So glad to have found it.

This was very good, but not out of this world until I made some slight adjustments. After stirring in all the ingredients it just seemed to be missing some subtle flavor. So I added about 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme and simmered half a bay leaf in the chowder for about 30 minutes more and what a difference! Also, I only used about 3/4 tsp. pepper (white pepper for better visual appeal) and not as much cheese as the recipe calls for. It was heavenly. Will definitely make this again. BTW if you use the good canned red sockeye salmon, canned salmon works fine in this recipe, as long as you pick through it and remove the skin. No need to remove the bones which are a good source of calcium and are so soft they need only be mashed up. Thanks for the recipe!

i work in a handicapped home and made this receipe for 15 people and they all loved it. it is also a cheap chowder and healthy to make for a crowd. judy in new brunswick canada

OMG! Ok, really, this is fantastic. Friends that don't eat fish or are very picky ate this Salmon Chowder and loved it. I've been asked to make it again and again. I added pepper flakes, liquid smoke, a little bit of peas and extra frozen or canned whole corn. Yum!!

This was really good. I used frozen salmon, thawed it out and threw it into the soup before simmering for 20 minutes. I also took another reviewer's suggestions and deglazed the onions with white wine and skipped the cheddar altogether. Didn't have celery so I just put in celery seed. It was a little chunky so I used my handheld blender to blend it up a bit cause I still wanted chunks but a little creaminess too.

This is a great tasting chowder that we all were really pleased with. I'm not a fan of clam chowder, but this is a lot better than that and uses ingredients you usually have on hand. Definitely a keeper!

This was very good but needs a few adjustments to take it to 5 stars. I would omit the salt and the cheese next time. I only added half the amount of salt and it was too much, and the cheese just doesn't belong. I took a hint from other reviewers and only used two small cans of salmon. They are right, there must be an editing error. It was plenty.

Delicious! Hubby and I ate the whole pot!

Great recipe, very delicious. I used fresh dill instead of dried, less cheese, and two 6 ounce cans of salmon.

i followed the recipie exactly except for adding a few cloves of fresh garlic to the onion and celery and it came out great! my picky eater husband also loved it. we ate it with some sliced french bread and it was amazing.

I made this using some leftover salmon we had grilled. Also used my own chicken stock and fresh garlic cloves to our taste...which is more than a teaspoon. Was very good...Used about two pounds of salmon. Not only was this a simple chowder to make, it tasted absolutely delicious. Since it was only my husband and I eating this I froze the remaining...will update how that turned out later. Update: This was great after being in the freezer for three weeks....just heated it back up on the stovetop...just as good the second time around.

Delicious! I followed the recipe but used fresh garlic and added a few more potatoes. Soooo good EVERYONE LOVED IT! Definate make again. I am going to add some shrimp to it next time. YUM!!!

I'm not a big salmon fan but have been looking for new ways to en-corporate it into our diets. This was a wonderful full bodied flavorful soup. I will look forward to this again, especially on a cool evening when you need something warm and filling. I made this as written except left out the celery. Excellent new keeper!

LOVED IT! Just how it is. Perfect recipe.

Easy and fast! Cheddar is not needed, as the chowder was already super yummy without it. I used less butter, and used one salmon fillet in place of 1 canned salmon (just because I had some in the freezer). Will definitely make it again. Two thumbs way up!!!

Really good easy recipe. I used olive oil instead of butter, added lots of extra celery and carrots, fresh smoked salmon instead of the canned and lite evap. milk. Great chowder!

Pretty good. Tweaked a little to suit our family taste but a good soup. Served these in bread bowls and enjoyed!

Delicious, quick and easy. I used what I had on hand, substituted 2 thawed salmon filets for the canned, chopped into small pieces. Also reduced cheese to 1 cup so it would not taste like cheese soup with salmon. Also added 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke. This chowder tastes better than nearly any that you would pay $6.95 for a bowl at a restaurant.

My husband who isn't a fan of salmon really enjoyed this soup. Great way to get non fish eaters to try something different.

Oh dear lord...this recipe is now at the top of our uber comfort food recipe list!! This was absolutely wonderful and so delicious!! My husband and I made this recipe earlier tonight, and now we are both in total euphoric food comas. We made just a few changes to the recipe. Instead of garlic powder we used a few cloves of fresh garlic, instead of cream corn we used frozen corn, and instead of canned salmon we used fresh salmon. Also, we added about a half a cup of heavy whipping cream when heating it through at the end, to add that extra bit of loveliness. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe with the rest of the world. This one is DEFINITELY a keeper!!

Not bad but I did modify a little bit. I was trying to find a good way to use up some leftover baked salmon that was sitting in the fridge. As it was, it was about 2/3rd of the amount called for in the recipe but it was plenty. Also, I cut the cheese in half. It seemed to me that I would be making glue if I added a whole 1/2 pound to the recipe. I think I measured out to about 4.5 ounces of shredded Chedder/Colby/Jack mix. The Salmon was already seasoned with kosher salt and dill. Therefore, I eliminated adding any extra that was listed in the ingredients. Anyway, with all that improvising, it turned out pretty darned good. It was a great way to use up leftovers. I packed a bowlful for lunch today and received a few compliments on how good it looked. About 1 1/2 cups filled me up for the whole rest of the day. Great winter meal.

I'm giving this 5 stars only because I can't give it more! This is DELICIOUS! I didn't make any changes from the original recipe; although I did use home canned salmon from a friend in AK. I'm sure I'll make this again and again!

SOOO good! It was the first soup i've ever made, and it was super easy. My husband and my two year old gobbled it up and asked for seconds. Awesome thanks for the recipe!! :)

Very good recipe. I followed it closely except for the following slight changes. In the hot stock pot I added 6 slices of diced smokey bacon to crisp. Removed the bacon and cooked the onion and celery in the bacon drippings. I added the chopped crispy bacon back to the pot at the end! I also added a pinch of cayenne pepper and about 1 cup total of grated white cheddar and asiago cheese. Yum.

Very delicious recipe as is. Next time I may try red pepper flakes or something to add a little extra pep, though I may just leave as is. It was all eaten up that night. We used our home jarred alaska salmon and even the picky eater in the family had to agree it was pretty good. Thank you for sharing!

I love this! It is easy and yummy and I could have it once a week. My oldest son just ate 3 bowls. This time I didn't have the celery or carrot (just added some extra potato). I used skim milk. It was quite wonderful.

Very Yummy chowder. I generally could live without soup, but this one is wonderful. Healthy it up a bit with low fat evaporated milk and 1/2 the cheese :-) I also added chopped red bell peppers for a bit of color and topped it with cilantro. Mmmm mmmm mmmm.

This has become one of my family's favorites!

This made a great soup. Baked about a pound of salmon in the oven to substitute for the canned salmon and fresh garlic for the powder. Didn't have carrots or cheese, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. It was a mild and tasty soup. The fresh salmon tasted great!

I used three cloves of fresh garlic instead of the powdered, 1/2 tsp of salt, low-sodium chicken broth, and fat free evaporated milk. My picky husband loved it! Leftovers were saved and eaten as tasty lunches at work.

We use our leftover salmon or trout to make this fantastic chowder on a regular basis. I also subsitute a few ingredients: 1/2 tsp. choppped garlic instead of garlic powder and unskinned cubed red potatoes add a little color. A definite favorite in our house, even the toddler loves this one.

Delicious! We had some left over salmon from last night's dinner. I didn't know what to do with it so I just searched "salmon" and this was one of the recipes that came up. My family loved it. I prepared it according to the recipe. Will def have it again!

Oh, my! I have one word--YUMMMMMMM!!!! In order to add more fish to our diets, I was looking for a salmon something or other that would be at least tolerable, as neither of us care for salmon at all. I followed the recipe ingredients exactly except I halved it in case we didn't like it. No worries about that!! This soup is now a permanent addition to my recipe collection. Thanks, Kenulia!

This recipe is Amazing! A delicious combination of flavors! The only changes I made were fresh fish in place of the canned and no dill weed because I didn't have it on hand. Very creamy and so tasty!

This was very good soup. I used fresh salmon and browned it with the onions. It was very easy to make and my family loved it with fresh cheese biscuits.

This was pretty yummy! I didn't change too much. I used 3-6 oz pouches of boneless packaged salmon, a little extra pepper and dill, Better Than Bouillon Chicken and water (instead of chicken broth), and some potato flakes. The soup was a little runnier than I like, so that is why I added about 1/4-1/3 cup of potato flakes, to thicken it up!

Delicious but one recommendation... done use canned salmon. Ours had little bones in it and the whole time I was eating my soup I was trying to pick out tiny bones. Next time I would precook the salmon and then add it to the soup!

This was a fantastic chowder! The texture of the vegetables contrasted well with the creaminess of the soup. I used four frozen salmon fillets instead of the canned salmon. I just broiled the filets in the oven until cooked, shredded them, and added to the soup. The creamed corn is a nice addition. It gives the soup a subtle sweet flavor. I cut back on the cheddar cheese...I just added about 1 to 1.5 cups. Then I sprinkled the bowls of soup with extra cheese just before serving. Delicious!

Very easy and good. I browned some thick, smoked bacon with the onions, celery and fresh garlic. Gave it a wonderful smokey taste. fresh salmon is also the way to go.

An excellent soup to use leftover baked or grilled salmon. I also used fresh garlic and cut back on the butter a little. I wasn't going to add all of the cheddar, but since it was thickening the soup, I did eventually put it all in. After tasting this recipe, I felt it needed a little cayenne pepper and 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke which made it just perfect.

Excellent! Use FRESH SALMON though. We don't enjoy salmon but since we live on the West Coast, we always seem to be given some. THIS is the recipe to use up all that fish and impress the neighbours.

Very good chowder. Because there are so many salty ingredients, I used no-salt butter and no-salt creamed corn. I also used low-salt chicken broth and only added 1/2 tsp. of salt. Really let the rest of the flavors come through and we all loved it. Even my young one who hates soup.

This is a great recipe...easy to prepare, quick and comfort food at its best! I used a few of the other reviewers tips; broiled 16 oz. fresh salmon (I use salmon belly trim, so it is extra high in fat), used fresh garlic.

This was delicious! I used fresh garlic and salmon (baked in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes, then flaked by hand) and left out the celery due to personal preference. My husband, who is not a soup person, said this was great! We will definitely be eating this several times in the next few months! Thanks for a really wonderful recipe!

This is amazing and SO EASY. First time I tried to make my own soup and glad that I did. Hubby is such a grouch from soup in the can so I tried this...now I am in trouble because he knows I can make soup now. I did use fresh salmon (and just cooked it in the soup). I can't imagine that it would taste as good with the canned stuff. Had NO LEFTOVERS...and that is amazing since I doubled the recipe to freeze some for later (since other reviewers suggested that). Definate thanks for the post....will be made many times more in our rotation.

This is really good! I threw in some mozarella and provole cheese just because I had a bit left, and it still tasted increadible.

Loved it and will definitely make it again. Next time I will saute the onions in less butter, the amount (in my opinion) is largely unnecessary. Also, I substituted real garlic for the garlic powder.

I added more vegetables and chicken stock. This is a great recipe!

This is a very easy soup recipe. I made some this fall and froze some for Christmas time and it reheated GREAT! It was a terrific hit and I will be making it again this spring for Lent! Thanks for a good recipe. :)

Instead of 2 cans of salmon, I used the frozen package of 3 salmon filets that had been in the freezer for like 6 months. Also, not sure about the amounts in cups, but I used 2 celery stalks, 3 potatoes, one onion, and probably like 2 or 2.5 tsp of dill weed. Our dill weed is like 100 years old, so it never gets used. Baked and flaked the salmon. There were some awesome-sized chunks in there. It was even better the next day.

Excellent and EASY! I did use only 1 can of salmon per other reviews and agree 2 cans would have way to much.

This is an amazing chowder - I brought it to work for my lunch and several people tasted it and immediately wanted the recipe. My changes: half the salt, 1% milk instead of condensed, no cheese. Very tasty!

This was delicious! I cooked fresh salmon over the stove top instead of using canned salmon, only used a sprinkle of cheddar (I felt like it didn't need the cheddar. I didn't want the cheddar to disguise the delicate flavor of the salmon and it's also healthier to leave it out), and added some old bay seasoning.

I am not a salmon fan and I thought this soup was great. My husband really liked it as well.

This chowder is great! I made it with frozen salmon because thats all that I had but it turned out awesome. I followed other suggestions and didnt pre-cook the salmon, I just put the cut up pieces in at the last minute. I also used about a 1/4 the amount of cheese, I really dont think it added anything so I will leave it out next time. Thanks for the recipe.

Fish chowder? Yuk! Well, I do like clam chowdah and I have a can of salmon and some aging potatoes that need to be used, so I guess I'll give it a try. Hmmmm! This is marvelous! Made a meal of it with some chicken salad sandwiches and it went over very, very well. I do see what one reviewer meant when they said it was their new "comfort" food! Thanks, Kenulia, for this wonderful recipe!

My FIRST time making this chowder. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing.

This chowder was delicious. I made the recipe verbatim with the exceptions of using fresh salmon cut into chunks, fresh garlic, and a little less cheese. The balance of flavors came through perfectly. Highly recommended.

Fast, easy, and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe.

I pretty much followed the recipe except: Used two cloves of garlic and half a sweet potato, which gave it a great color, one tbsp fresh dill and 1 cup cream instead of evaporated milk. After potatoes were cooked i put half in blender to give it thickness. It was heavenly and made so much we have to invite neighbors over tomorrow to finish!

We really enjoyed this chowder. I used fresh leftover salmon in this and left out the cheddar cheese to reduce the fat and calories. We did not miss the cheese and it was very yummy. The chowder was nice and thick without it also.

I had some leftover baked salmon that I didn't want to go bad, so I made this chowder. It came out very good and my husband was very impressed!

This was a good soup, but it still lacked something. I give it 3 stars but my hubby gives it 4 stars. I used fresh salmon and fresh garlic. Next time I will make a broth from the salmon skin first. I almost switched the dill for thyme, but i didn't. I thought the dill was too mild tasting, so I will try the thyme next time. Oh, and for those that don't like chunks of carrot, I shredded mine and they were soft like the potatoes. I like the idea of this chowder so I will play around with it and then post my update.

Tjis a very delicious salmon chowder. It has alot more ingredients than other recipes I have used and is very tasty.

Okay, I always have my doubts about canned stuff as main ingredients. And I have to say that this is an ugly soup, but despite that, it tastes suprisingly wonderful. Once the cheddar was added it had a strange color, hence the ugliness, and if you care about presentation then I suppose you could always just use white cheddar instead. Very good.

Fast, easy, delicious. Modifications: I replaced the evaporated milk with skim milk, and the dried dill with two teaspoons of fresh dill. I also used 1 and 1/2# of wild caught salmon, two cloves of garlic, kernels from 1 ear of corn, reduced-fat cheddar, and 32 oz of chicken stock.

Yummmm! Not fishy tasting at all, very filling and delicious.

I just made this soup tonight, and it is great! My kid's loved it! I only used 3/4 the amount of cheese called for and 2- 7oz. packages of boneless skinless salmon.( The new kind with no water added.)This is rich and elegant enough to serve to company. Kudos!

My grandfather says this soup has the most incredible flavor - the rest of the family agrees.

Wow! Is this one ever delicious! I had a big slab of Costco salmon in my freezer (about 1-1/2 pounds) so I sauteed it up and used it instead of the canned stuff. Soup was attractive and yummy. My kids still ask for it. Highly recommended!

Everyone *loved* this (kids included). Will become a regular in our home!

Didn't use any cheddar cheese. Hubby and son loved it!!!! Halved the recipe to see if they liked it before using 4 cans of salmon or fresh $$

A delicious chowder full of texture! I wonder if it'll work well in a breadbowl too :) It's super easy to make, and very colourful. Thanks!