In my household, fall and winter are soup seasons! And while I love rich, creamy soups, I do try to make lighter versions to avoid winter weight gain as much as possible. Chowder is a favorite of mine and today I’m sharing a healthy halibut chowder that’s also gluten free!

First I need to give a shout out to Kristen at Ella Claire & Co. for organizing today’s tasty event. Several other bloggers are sharing favorite soup recipes at the end of this post. You’re sure to find several recipes to add to your soup line-up this season.

Many of you know I’m a pescatarian, which is a vegetarian who eats seafood. It gives me the chance to get my Omega Threes and Sixes from fatty fish like salmon and tuna. But today’s soup uses my absolute favorite fish – halibut.

Halibut is rather pricey so if you need the poor man’s version of this soup, you can substitute cod. You can use fish broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth for the base of this soup. I chose vegetable and it was quite yummy.

Healthy halibut chowder includes carrots, celery, potatoes, and a little bit of onion. So you’re getting your veggies, proteins, and carbs all in one handy meal. Serve the chowder with a salad, crackers, or biscuits for a little bit of texture.

Hubby and I enjoyed our lunch outside by the pond since it was in the 60s this past weekend. I think it’s probably our last warm weekend although it looks like the temps will be in the 50s for the next couple of weeks, which isn’t too bad. But who knows? Sometimes Halloween can be quite balmy – or it can be snowing. You never know what you’re gonna get when you live outside of Chicago.

Let me know if you decide to make this healthy halibut chowder. Although I include measuring of salt and pepper in the recipe, you might want to add more to suit your taste buds. I tend to be conservative with salt measurements since everyone’s palette (and health restrictions) are different.

5 from 3 votes

Healthy Halibut Chowder: Gluten Free

Course Soup

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots diced
3 stalks celery sliced or diced
3 carrots sliced or diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable, fish, or chicken stock
1 cup skim milk
2 small gold potatoes diced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold milk
2 pounds halibet filets cut into 1-inch chunks
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat in stock pot. Add onion, celery, and carrots and lower heat. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and bay leaves and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Keep vegetables in pot but stir in the dry white wine to deglaze the bottom. Cook liquid down to about half..
Stir in the vegetable stock and milk. Add the potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch and cold milk together making sure to blend until all lumps are gone. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stock pot and stir thoroughly. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the cornstarch flavor is gone.
Add the cubed halibut pieces to the stock pot and let cook at a simmer for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Serve soup with a garnish of parsley, if desired.