Peel and cut potatoes into 1.5 inch chunks and place cut potatoes into a bowl of cool water with a touch of lemon juice.
Peel carrots and cut into 1.5 inch chunks.
Select Sauté or Browning on your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker cooking pot and allow to fully heat (or use meat setting if your pot does not have a Select Sauté or Browning button).
Toss in butter, onions and garlic.
Sauté for 3 minutes, or until onions begin to slightly brown.
Add 1/2 cup of broth to cooking pot and deglaze the pot, making sure to scrap up all the brown bits. Those brown bits stuck on the bottom are called fond and will add lots of delicious flavor to the chowder,
Turn off Instant Pot.
Add corn, carrots, mushrooms, green beans and mix through.
Add all the individual seasonings or if using my Homemade Old Bay Seafood Seasoning, add in 2 Tablespoons instead of all the individual spices.
Drain water from bowl of potatoes and add potatoes to the pot.
Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure (most machines default to high pressure) for 5 minutes.
When Beep sounds, wait 15 minutes and then turn the pressure valve to vent and release the rest of the pressure.
Remove lid and Select the Sauté or Browning button (or use meat setting if your pot does not have a Select Sauté or Browning button).
Add shrimp, scallops and fish to hot broth in the Instant Pot and stir.
Broth will simmer and shellfish and fish will be cooked within 5 minutes.
Squeeze in 1/2 of a fresh lemon (or use 1/2 teaspoon of True Lemon Crystallized. The True Lemon tastes like freshly squeezed lemon.
Slowly add in heavy cream (or skip) a little at a time and taste. Some people prefer no cream and others like a lot of cream.
Taste the chowder and if needed, add in more seasonings. For those adding a lot of cream, you may need another 1/4 teaspoon of my homemade Old Bay seasoning mix.
Notes
As potatoes will turn brownish green if left out, placing them in a mixing bowl of water will prevent them from turning and discoloring.Cremini mushrooms have a deeper and an earthy flavor, unlike white button mushrooms, which are basically tasteless unless stir fried.If you have a jar of my Homemade Old Bay Seasoning Recipe mix, use 2 Tablespoons in place of all the seasonings listed.
Best Shellfish for Instant Pot Seafood Corn Chowder
Shrimp (tails on)
Scallops
Oysters
Clams
Crab
Mussels
Octopus
Squid
Lobster Chunks
Any of the above options are wonderful to eat in a seafood chowder. We always have a bag of frozen shrimp and scallops on hand. If you use mussels and oysters, toss them in with the shells and all, as the shells add a nice flavor and also look pretty.I suggest starting with 1/2 cup of cream and adding more if you like. Some people prefer a very creamy chowder, so adjust as you taste.Instant Pot Seafood Corn Chowder is delicious without the heavy cream and can be eliminated if you are not a cream soup person.Originally published on December 30, 2016. Republished on September 11, 2020 to add clarity.