Transform Basic Baked Potatoes With This Canned Seafood Upgrade For A Major Flavor (And Protein) Boost

There may have been a time when baked potatoes were limited to a small list of possible toppings, like butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon bits. These are still certainly among the most common potato accouterments, but the acceptable options are growing all the time. One intriguing choice on the growing list is topping a potato with a steaming ladle of creamy clam chowder.

You can think of it almost like turning clam chowder inside out. Instead of the potatoes simply providing tender bits of texture floating in the creamy broth, in this case they are the star of the show. While it may seem unusual to use a potato as a soup bowl, this combination really works. Baked potatoes love a rich, creamy topping, and New England-style clam chowder fits that bill perfectly. Whether it's a carefully prepared homemade pot or just a can of good store-bought chowder, the rich soup gives the fluffy baked potato not just plenty of fat and moisture, but also more flavor and some protein.

The one downside to simply spooning soup over a baked potato, however, is the presentation. Mashing it into the fluffy center helps, but it still isn't exactly glamorous. For that, though, there are a few tricks. First, you can do your dish in the style of a twice-baked potato, scooping out the potato's center after its inside is soft, mashing it with the chowder, and then returning it to the oven. Or, for an even more interesting presentation, you can take inspiration from these cottage pie baked potatoes by tucking the soup into the potato skin underneath a layer of mash.

Putting your own spin on this simple carb and chowder combo can mean more than just switching up the presentation. How it looks is important, but the most important metric for any food is how it tastes. If New England clam chowder isn't your favorite, consider using something like this Long Island-style seafood chowder recipe instead. The flavor is built on a backbone of tomato and roasted red pepper, with just enough cream and a healthy complement of fish, scallops, and shrimp to give the meal both flavor and protein. Or you could try something like this crab and corn chowder. Whatever your preferred creamy seafood soup recipe, it is ready for the baked potato treatment.

Taking the opposite track, you can lean into the baked potato side of the equation to boost flavor. Many popular baked potato toppings work with this chowder combination, including cheese, bacon, chives, and sour cream. Even some of the more unexpected baked potato toppings, like smoked fish or pickled red onions, can balance chowder with smoky, tangy notes. It all comes down to your personal preferences. Clam chowder is, from the start, an intriguing and different topping for a baked potato, so feel free to experiment.