Soups Cream Soups Chowder Seafood Chowder Seafood-and-Seaweed Chowder Dry hard cider and kelp perfume the stock for this Irish-style chowder from Jp McMahon. By Jp McMahon Jp McMahon Dr. JP McMahon is a chef, restaurateur, and author changing the way people think about Irish cooking. As culinary director of EatGalway Restaurant Group, he oversees Aniar, Cava Bodega, and Tartare, plus Aniar Boutique Cookery School. He wrote The Irish Cookbook and founded and directs the symposium Food on The Edge. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 12, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Caitlin Bensel Active Time: 1 hr 15 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Servings: 6 to 8 Jump to recipe A combination of dry hard cider and dried seaweed brings a sweet, mild salinity to the stock.A mix of mussels, littleneck clams, and chunks of pollock or cod bring both briny depth and delicate flakiness to the creamy chowder.Classic chowder ingredients — potatoes, leeks, onion, and cream — create a hearty base, while fresh dill and ground nori add bright herbal notes and an extra hint of the sea. Jp McMahon could just have easily been a professor as a chef. (He's also a playwright.) For The Irish Cookbook, he interviewed family and dug through archives, surfacing recipes like this one. Seaweed, he says, is his favorite unsung ingredient. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Find kelp or dried kombu on the international foods aisle at your local grocery store. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 6 to 8 servings Stock 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 2 medium carrots, finely chopped 2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) dry hard cider 7 cups water 1 1/2 ounces dried kelp or kombu 10 thyme sprigs 5 medium garlic cloves 3 fresh bay leaves 1 1/2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded 1 1/2 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed Chowder 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 3 medium leeks, finely chopped 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 pound skinless pollock or cod fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish Finely ground nori, for serving Directions Make the stock: Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Add cider; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, 12 to 15 minutes. Add 7 cups water, kelp, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld and liquid is reduced to about 4 1/2 cups, about 40 minutes. Place mussels and clams in simmering stock; cover and cook until shells open, 8 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer mussels and clams to a medium bowl; discard any that did not open. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Remove meat from shells; discard shells, and set meat aside. Pour stock through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Make the chowder: Wipe Dutch oven clean. Add butter, and melt over medium-high. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in potatoes, leeks, salt, and 4 1/2 cups strained stock (discard any remaining stock, or reserve for another use). Let mixture come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in cream; cook, undisturbed, just until chowder returns to a simmer. Add pollock; cook, stirring occasionally, until fish is almost cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in reserved mussel and clam meat. Remove from heat. Let stand until mussels and clams are heated through and pollock flakes when pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes. Stir in dill; season with salt to taste. Ladle into serving bowls; garnish with ground nori and dill. Make ahead The stock can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated up to three days in advance. Originally appeared: February 2020 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.