Healthy Seafood Chowder with Mahi Mahi and Ginger

Below: Learn how to make this delicious and healthy seafood chowder with ginger, using one of my favorite types of fish known as mahi mahi.

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I absolutely love seafood – especially when it is served as a soup or chowder on days where I want a lighter meal. It is delicious, healthy, and very nutritious.

I will always remember the days of my youth when one of my “chores” was to get up early and go to the pier to pick up fresh seafood for the day. There were times when the fishermen had lots of success and so there was a great variety to choose from.

Most of that seafood was intended to be sold to restaurants, seafood shops, and other distributors in the area, but if you were lucky enough to get there early, they would sell them to private citizens also, which is why we always get up early to be the first in line.

Growing up on the coast where there were lots of fishermen was a blessing, as that was how I learned how to make so many of my favorite seafood recipes. It didn’t matter why type of fish we found, there was always a great way to prepare it.

My mom was always a huge fan of any kind of seafood, and especially seafood soup. I will say that it wasn’t always something I craved on hot summer days, but as I grew up, I came to love soups and broths too.

Although in Mexico we don’t use as many different varieties of spices like ginger, coming to a multi-cultural country like the United States has allowed me to explore different flavors to change up these tasty recipes that I grew up loving in Mexico.

How do you make hearty seafood chowder?

This creamy seafood chowder is full of flavor thanks to the combination of coconut cream (or coconut milk) and ginger, plus an added kick from the crushed red pepper. The type of fish that I used is mahi mahi, which is very low in fat, so adding the coconut cream gives it some great extra flavor.

The first step is to sautee a variety of vegetables, such as yellow bell peppers, yellow onion, and white onion, in a small saucepan. Then, we will add grated ginger and lemon zest to the same pot.

While the veggies are finishing up, you can season the fish with black pepper and salt before adding it to the same pan with the vegetables, ginger, and lemon zest over medium heat until it starts to brown slightly. Then, add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and incorporate it well.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut cream and water (or vegetable stock) and mix well. If you want a more creamy soup, you can add a tablespoon of arrowroot powder which is a great natural thickener. Add all of that to a large pot and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes before lowering to low heat and bringing to a gentle simmer.

The final step is to add the cooked fish and vegetables to the pot with the creamy base and then serve in individual bowls.

You can modify this recipe to use different kinds of fresh fish or other types of seafood like fresh clams, fresh scallops, large shrimp, crab meat, or lobster meat. In those case, the process for the seafood stock base is the same, but the way you prepare the seafood may vary.

What are some health benefits of ginger?

I used ginger in this recipe to give it some additional health benefits, and it has becomes one of my favorite ways to make it. For an anti-inflammatory diet, it is important to find ingredients that have a lot of flavor, but that can also help lower our inflammation levels.

Ginger is a root ingredient that is used in many Asian recipes and also in India. It is known for its anti-inflammatory, digestive, and pain relieving properties.

It is considered a superfood since it is full of healthy nutrients like essential oils, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids.

It is great for digestion, improves blood circulation, and can help relieve nausea and the common cold. These are only a few of its great benefits.

Although in Mexico, ginger is not as common, I love it and we should try to incorporate it more in our diet to help reduce inflammation. If you want to learn about more spices and ingredients that can help you if you have a chronic illness, check out this post.

I hope you enjoy this seafood soup recipe as much as I do. It is easy to make and I know that you will love it! Let me know in the comments below how it turned out. You can serve it with our tasty cauliflower rice or grain-free tortillas.