Salmon Chowder - Cooking Alaska Wild Salmon

Wild Alaska Salmon Chowder

An easy and healthy dinner with a cherished Alaskan resource

by The Alaska Life

We are blessed to live in Alaska where we can catch Wild Alaska Salmon to feed our families. Nothing beats pulling a beautiful salmon fillet out of the freezer for a delicious and healthy dinner for your family (like an easy Sockeye salmon recipe)!  What are you going to do with the leftovers?  Reheating is an option ... and so is making an entirely new dish!  This salmon chowder is the perfect answer for salmon leftovers and a staple meal in the fall and winter, or even in the summer when the temperature drops on a rainy day.  Serve with french bread, green salad, and chilled white wine for a meal that won't disappoint!


salmon chowder


Ingredients 1 salmon fillet (16 oz) cut into 1 inch cubes (you can use already cooked leftovers OR uncooked) 3 Tablespoons butter 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1/2 cup chopped celery 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1/2 cup diced carrots 2 cups diced potatoes 2 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried dill weed 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1.5 cups whole milk 1 cup frozen corn 1.5 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 2 cups kale, torn into pieces and rinsed with cold water   Directions 1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, and garlic and saute until onions are tender.  Stir in potatoes, carrots, chicken broth, salt, pepper, dill, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, add kale and simmer (covered) for 25 minutes. 2. Stir in salmon, milk, corn, and cheese. Cook salmon chowder until heated through. * Makes 4-6 servings
Wild Alaska Salmon shipped directly to your home We know not everyone can catch their own salmon, especially if you live somewhere like Indiana or Nebraska.  It doesn't mean the food cravings aren't there.  If you’re having a hard time finding wild Alaskan salmon in your area, check out the Wild Alaskan Company, a brand dedicated to sourcing the highest quality, sustainably harvested wild-caught Alaskan seafood, and will deliver directly to your home.
Did you enjoy the Alaskan salmon chowder?  Let us know!  Did you tweak or change the recipe to your liking?  We’d love to hear about it.  For more inspiration on how to utilize your wild Alaska salmon, check out our easy Sockeye salmon recipe!

26 comments

I cut the salmon in about 1/2 chunks and they were cooked through in about 10 minutes. I just probed a few pieces and they were over 135º.

Erin April 17, 2021

Carla, if you have an app like My Fitness Pal you can create your own dishes from recipes then save them. It will calculate the calories based on the ingredients.

Joan April 17, 2021

Did you use canned coconut milk or in a carton? My mother lives with us and she can’t tolerate dairy. I’d love to cook this for her. I’ve made this recipe for our family several times and have shared it on Facebook as it is always a hit with all of my loved ones, even the littles.

Gina April 17, 2021

Wow wow wow!
Made this while watching Life Below Zero. Fun to eat the salmon chowder while watch the series. Only different thing I did was lower the salt,(low sodium broth, half the teaspoon salt and unsalted butter.) Gonna share this. Can’t wait to look over @thealaskalife.com for other stuff.

Lisa April 17, 2021

This recipe was so simple and delicious! I made it DF and used coconut milk. We didn’t have potatoes or kale so those were omitted as well. Despite that, the whole family loved it and said to make it again in the future. I could see rice or white beans being a great substitute for the potatoes.

Mama April 17, 2021

I don’t, unfortunately. You may have to find what it would be based on individual ingredients and calculate it that way?

Kyle April 17, 2021

Made according to the recipe, do you have the nutritional facts or an estimate of the calories in 2 cups of soup?

Carla April 17, 2021

try macaroni’s

Alex April 17, 2021

This is so good. I made it with coconut milk. Added andouille assuage. And fresh dill. Excellent

Reg April 17, 2021

So good ?
Making it again this week.
Used evaporated milk.
Thanks for a great simple recipe!

Susan L. April 17, 2021

I’d like to make this with my leftover wild salmon but I have no potatoes & am staying home for safety from COVID19. Would it work well with leftover Jasmine rice instead of potatoes?

Carla Oswald Reed April 17, 2021

Made this a few weeks ago with a raw salmon filet that I threw in cubed at the end. I didn’t have celery or kale on hand so I just skipped those. Turned out great! It really hit the spot for cold winter night. Even the kids liked it, and they are pretty darn picky. I’m making it again tonight with kale. Can’t wait!

Jolene April 17, 2021

I add smoked paprika and chipotle powder to this recipe and it is fantastic. Works well with trout if that’s what you have.

Steve Balletto April 17, 2021

Wow, awesome! Thanks for the feedback Trudy!

Kyle April 17, 2021

Made this last night and it was delicious!!! I used 1/2 & 1/2 ……otherwise made exactly as written! This is a keeper!!!

Trudy April 17, 2021

excellent! I used canned evaporated milk – creamier, and not the calories of cream. I also had a bunch of baby arugula to use up and it was great! I added a cup more of broth, as the liquid seemed a bit scant. I used the celery leaves as well. It’s a keeper!

LeAnn April 17, 2021

Did you save us a bowl?! :) Sounds great!

Kyle April 17, 2021

Followed the recipe, then added more chicken stock to accommodate the ingredients, used 1% milk and a slug of half and half, and no red pepper (whimps in my family). Absolutely delicious.

Elizabeth Hickey April 17, 2021

How well do you think this would hold up in a crockpot? We do lunches at work and they are asking for fish dishes and this sound good.

L. Kelly April 17, 2021

If using raw salmon, about how long do you have to simmer before it’s cooked through? I’m assuming about 20 minutes?

Kate April 17, 2021

Wow! This was an excellent recipe! I went off a little on it, little more red pepper flake for a little extra kick, more salmon, and I used heavy cream (added some 2% milk later to thin it back a bit)…seasoned the salmon with lemon pepper too when I baked it.

Not exactly your recipe but close enough. So good, I’m sure if I didn’t change it, it would have been great too.
Thanks!

Will S. April 17, 2021

Sounds good, will try it soon.

Esthet April 17, 2021

I add heavy cream instead of milk, it makes it richer. Also I sometimes add left over halibut.

Vera April 17, 2021

This is a wonderful chowder! We’ve made it 3 times the past 2 weeks. Doubled the recipe last time (we used heavy cream in place of milk)! Our adult children & grandchild love it as well. We just purchased ingredients to make a double-double recipe! We have frozen Pacific salmon caught on Easter. We put it in soup raw & oh my! It is SO good!
We’d like to know if it can be frozen?

Joe Cammiso April 17, 2021

Thanks for the feedback and your tips re: garnish! If you want to try something else with your salmon, here’s another great recipe: https://www.thealaskalife.com/blog/cheesy-salmon-cakes/

Cecil April 17, 2021

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