Seafood Selections

• Aim for a total of about 1 1/2 pounds of seafood in the chowder. For slow-cooker blends, it's especially important to choose fish that won't fall apart after prolonged cooking. This guidelines rules out frozen varieties, which aren't as sturdy as fresh fish. Opt for fillets with thick flesh, such as cod, halibut, sea bass or haddock. If you're making a basic clam chowder or including clams in a seafood blend, use good-quality canned clams. Use small, peeled and deveined shrimp. Other chowder possibilities include scallops and freshly shelled crabmeat and lobster meat.

Broth Battles

• The cooking liquid to use in seafood chowders is open to debate among chowder fans. Clear "Rhode Island" chowders are usually based on fish stock or chicken broth, which you can buy or make ahead of time. These clear broths are sometimes augmented with clam juice and white wine. Or add tomatoes and spices to take the clear chowder straight into "Manhattan." Make a "New England"-type chowder by mixing heavy cream or evaporated milk with water and bottled clam juice.

Intriguing Ingredients

• Diced tomatoes, hot peppers and spices can transform clear broth, but they will also enliven basic cream chowders. Peeled and cubed potatoes or turnips are commonly found in seafood chowders. Celery and onions can join the mix, and are frequently used as a base when sauteed with bacon and thickened with flour. Fresh herbs for possible inclusion include sage, thyme or chives, while dried seasonings range from saffron, which lends a golden hue to clear broth, to dried Mediterranean herbs or spicy red pepper flakes.

Timetables

• If you're setting the slow cooker to Low, add all the ingredients at once and cook the seafood chowder for 6 to 8 hours. When cooking the chowder on the High setting, put clear liquids, dry seasonings and sauteed vegetables and uncooked root vegetables into the cooker and leave it for 2 to 3 hours. In the final stages, add seafood and optional ingredients like cream and fresh herbs. Heat the chowder for an additional 45 minutes at the Low setting, until the seafood has been thoroughly cooked.