You might not think of fish or seafood when you think about dishes to cook in your slow cooker, but there are many excellent options. Because long, slow cooking will toughen fish and shrimp, they aren't added until the last 15 minutes to 1 hour of cooking time. A soup or gumbo, for instance, is cooked in the crock pot for a long period of time with the sausage and chicken, while the shrimp is added about 20 minutes before serving time.
In general, check fish and seafood for doneness with a fork after about 15 minutes. Shrimp should be tender and opaque and fish should flake easily with a fork.
Surprisingly, the slow cooker is an excellent salmon poacher. Line the slow cooker with foil or parchment paper. Cover about 1 or 2 pounds of salmon fillets with lemon slices, herbs, and your favorite seasonings. Place the fillets in the slow cooker and add a cup of wine, water, or broth to the pot. Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours. Check the salmon with a fork after about 1 hour and about every 15 minutes after that. It should flake nicely and will be about 145 F on an instant-read thermometer when done.
Unless you are following a specific recipe, delicate fish such as tilapia, sole, and flounder should be avoided.
Fish Recipe
- Crock-Pot Salmon With Caramelized Onions and Carrots Salmon fillets are placed over the onions, carrots, and garlic that have caramelized for hours, then cooked on low for 1 to 2 hours until the salmon flakes.
Recipes With Shrimp
- Crock-pot Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo Vegetables, chicken, and shrimp in a creamy Alfredo sauce is delicious served over hot cooked rice or pasta.
- Easy Crock Pot Shrimp and Grits The shrimp are added right at the end and cook very quickly in the hot grits mixture.
- Slow Cooker Garlic Shrimp The slow cooker makes this garlic shrimp dish a snap to prepare and cook. Just combine the sauce ingredients, add the shrimp, and push a button.
Soup and Stew Recipes
- Crock Pot Chicken and Sausage Gumbo This Creole favorite is a natural for the slow cooker.
- Crock-Pot Clam Chowder This is a great way to make a clam chowder. The milk or cream is added near the end of the cooking time.
- Manhattan-Style Clam Chowder This is one of my family's favorite clam chowder recipes. Bacon, clam juice, and tomatoes give it fabulous flavor.
- Crock-Pot Fish Chowder Make this easy slow cooker fish chowder with haddock, cod, or catfish.
- Will's Fisherman's Stew Will's stew is full of flavor with shrimp, fish, scallops, mussels, and clams.