This creamy Seafood Newburg recipe turns the classic dish into a creamy soup. Use your favorite seafood mix, along with vegetables, cream, sherry, and Old Bay.
Imagine you create something so good that people name it after you. But then, you get into an argument, and someone takes your creation away and changes its name. As the decades pass, your creation lives on, yet you go forgotten.
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🦞 What is Lobster Newburg?
That's the dramatized backstory of a dish called Lobster Newburg. In 1876, wealthy sea captain Ben Wenberg brought the idea to the famous Delmonico restaurant in New York City. They loved it and soon added it to the menu. The decadent dish, made with lobster, cream, butter, sherry, eggs, and cayenne pepper, was a hit. But after a falling out between the captain and the Delmonico brothers, the restaurant took it off the menu. The dish later returned due to popular demand. But it went from being called Lobster Wenberg to Lobster Newburg, a witty take on the original.
Side note: The dish is spelled as both Newburg and Newberg and I honestly can't tell which is correct. Does anyone have an idea?
Lobster Newburg remains somewhat popular today, and that's kind of a bummer for Ben Wenberg. Or maybe that's just the nature of recipes. We're continually adapting them over time, and we don't always know who created them. It's hard to say if Wenberg actually came up with the recipe himself. Maybe he picked up the idea somewhere along his travels. Of course, the restaurant's chefs likely made some of their own tweaks. Today, the dish probably varies even more, though the basic idea behind it prevails.
🥛 Pairing Cream and Seafood
There's something about cream and seafood that works so well together. It's why Lobster Newburg and others, like clam chowder, will never cease to be classics. Of course, by clam chowder, I'm referring to New England Clam Chowder - the only one that matters. And the addition of sherry only makes it better!
Aside from shrimp and lobster, white fish, clams, and crab also pair nicely with cream. No matter the dish, the richness of dairy adds a luxuriousness to seafood that elevates even the most inexpensive varieties. If lobster isn't within your budget, it almost doesn't matter. Just add some more cream and butter, and just about any seafood will eventually melt in your mouth.
🦐 What is Seafood Newburg?
This Seafood Newburg recipe is inspired by Lobster Newberg and adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe. Lobster Newburg wasn't a soup, but I much prefer it as one. You can use any combination of seafood. I like cod and shrimp, which are both more affordable and practical for home cooking.
The soup retains its original inspiration's flavors, with cream, butter, and sherry as vital components. The Old Bay seasoning is a perfect complement and worth purchasing if you don't already have some on hand. Old Bay comes from Maryland, where they know a thing or two about seafood. It includes paprika, black pepper, celery salt, cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger. I used to think it unnecessary, but I've since given in and don't regret keeping a jar in my pantry.
I round out the Seafood Newburg with additional vegetables by increasing the celery and potatoes and adding mushrooms. The nice thing is that this soup doesn't take long to cook, and it makes several servings.
This dish calls for a good amount of half and half, so you must use a fresh and flavorful blend of milk and cream here. I like to use Monument Farms Dairy products that come from their farm in Weybridge, Vermont. I love that their priorities are the comfort and well-being of their cows and the conservation of their land.
Although it has its challenges, the dairy industry is vital to our state. It brings 2.2 billion dollars in economic activity to Vermont each year, according to the last report from vermontdairy.com.
If you like this Seafood Newburg recipe, next try my vegetarian borscht.
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Seafood Newburg Soup
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: about 6 servings 1x
Description
This creamy Seafood Newburg recipe turns the classic dish into a soup with your favorite seafood mix, along with vegetables, cream, sherry, and Old Bay.
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes
- 3 stalks celery
- 8 ounces white mushrooms
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 scallions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more for serving
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 ½ pounds cod or other white fish
- 3 tbsp flour
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups half and half or cream
- toast, for serving
Instructions
Peel and chop the potato. Roughly chop the celery, mushrooms, onion, and scallions. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the vegetables, bay leaf, salt, and Old Bay and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the vegetables cook, chop the shrimp and fish into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir to coat. Cook for about a minute, then add in the sherry and cook a minute more. Add the broth and seafood. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 7 minutes until the fish and shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the cream and heat through. Discard the bay leaf.
Serve the soup topped with scallions, a side of toast, and a sprinkle of Old Bay.
Notes
You can use whatever mix of seafood you prefer, whether that includes lobster, shrimp, crab, clam, or white fish, just keep the total amount the same.
For a lighter soup, use all milk. For a richer soup, try all cream. But I like to get the best of both and use half and half.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soups & Stews
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: shrimp, cod, potatoes, mushrooms, celery
Alex
How necessary is the flour? Could that be left out along with the potato for a low carb variant?
★★★★★
Steve
Hey Alex. The flour helps to thicken the soup. If you have a favorite low-carb thickener, such as xanthan gum or almond flour, you could try using one of those. I haven't tried using them in soups, so I can't say how much exactly. Or you could just leave it out and have a thinner soup.
Martha
Have had Steve’s and have made my own. Delicious!!
★★★★★
Steve
Thanks, Martha! Glad you liked it.
Carl
Thicken with corn starch instead of flour. Blend with cold water.