Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

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Irresistibly rich and silky, this Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is packed with flavour and texture.

Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

Hello, everyone. Happy Old New Year. Yes, you heard it right. And you don’t need to call an ambulance for me. I haven’t lost my mind (yet).

And I am not joking either. Russia just celebrated so-called “Old New Year” (The eve was on January 13th). Confusing, eh? I know. But everything is simple clear as mud indeed. If you don’t mind, I’ll briefly clarify this thing.

Like many countries, Russia starts a new year on January 1st, and I can say the New Year’s Eve is the main celebration of the year (Compared to North America where Christmas gets all the attention). However, when Russia (The Government) officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, the Russian Orthodox Church continued to use the Julian calendar and celebrate New Year 2 weeks later. New Year become a holiday which was celebrated by two calendars. So “Old” New Year simply refers to the New Year according to the old calendar, before 1918.

Although this Old New Year is no longer an official holiday (I honestly don’t even know when it stopped being a thing), it’s still informally observed and celebrated by many people. As a kid, I did like this extra holiday too! I believe it’s a way to finally wrap up the holiday season (By the way, Russia has very long winter holidays. Probably even way too long. I think this time the statutory holidays lasted for about 10 days.)

Anyway, while we aren’t celebrating Old New Year, we can absolutely celebrate almost the mid of January, right? And this Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is an excellent way to enjoy some comfort food. That’s quiescence of comfort food, in my book.

I made this recipe a couple of days before Christmas, and we decided to splurge a bit that time. After all, holidays are about some extravagance. As a result, this chowder isn’t a budget-friendly thing, but I didn’t promise you money-saving recipes today. Besides traditional white fish and mussels, I incorporated in this chowder mini scallops (Was a great deal) and frozen lobster meat (Was an amazing deal). I never handled a lobster before, so I decided frozen meat would work. But I also bought a couple of lobster tails. I won’t lie: mostly for the styling. (They look sexy in a bowl, aren’t they?) What else? Even though I’d never used clam juice either, most authentic recipes recommended getting a bottle, and I don’t regret. Potatoes, thyme, and a touch of smoked paprika perfectly finish the picture. As you see, while this recipe isn’t budget-friendly, it’s 100% worth of all spent money. On the other hand, both of us were enjoying this chowder for two days in a raw (And one day we had it twice!), so it yields roughly 6 generous servings. Less than 10$ for a huge bowl of chowder isn’t bad at all – at least if you go out in Nova Scotia, you can get a small bowl of soup for about 7$.

I hope I’ve given you enough reasons to make this Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder. Well, maybe not right now because we all pay our Christmas bills in January :) Just save it for future.

Happy Old New Year.

9 thoughts on “Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder

  1. David @ Spiced says:

    I’m back!! :-)

    What an interesting story about Old New Year. Happy Old New Year to you, my friend. Also, I totally know what you mean about lobster tails for styling. These photos look awesome! I want to grab a spoon and dig into this bowl. With all of the snow we had this past weekend, a good chowder would be a welcome addition to our menu. Looks and sounds delicious, Ben!
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  2. Kim | Give it Some Thyme says:

    Happy Old New Year, Ben! Love the stories behind such holidays. This chowder is so worth the indulgence, and totally fine in my book. An expensive dish at home is still cheaper than eating out! This looks divine and has me craving chowder. I don’t think I can have it without lobster after seeing this!

  3. Katherine | Love In My Oven says:

    We NEED to celebrate a holiday in January. After Christmas it’s just so BLAH for the next few months, I guess with the exception of Valentine’s Day! I’ve never made seafood chowder, it intimidates me! I might have to give your recipe a go, because I do love EATING seafood chowder!

  4. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says:

    I love the idea of a holiday smack in the middle of January. It’s kind of a way to ease out of the holiday season. Maybe we should try to bring the informal Russian tradition to North America? And this chowder sounds awesome! Very cozy and warming for those chilly January nights. Happy Friday eve!

  5. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says:

    First I’ve heard of ‘old new year’. Very interesting! I think this seafood chowder is totally worth the cost. This looks AMAZING, Ben! Hubby and I usually make seafood chowder during or right before Christmas and we didn’t this year, so it’s on our to-do over winter. We love it, especially with a big hunk o bread…and wine. I’ll have to give yours a try next time. Looks so decadently delish!

  6. Laura says:

    Ben, this soup looks stunning and sounds amazing! I love anything with mussels, and didn’t know one could find frozen lobster meat – I’ll for sure be on the hunt for that! I love the bounty of seafood in it, and you’re right, while not the most budget-friendly, totally worth it for a special occasion. And, I have to say, having a “New Year” and an “Old New Year”, while confusing, is a great way to celebrate! Thanks or the recipe and lovely presentation of it!

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