Slow cooker - when do I add milk for a fish chowder?

[unkljak]

I will be preparing fish chowder in a slow cooker. I plan to use tilipia, shrimp, corn, potatoes, bacon, carrots, tobasco sauce, butter, white wine, and imitation crab. - I will use evaporated milk and regular milk. My question is - at what point do I add the evaporated milk and the regular milk. - Do I start out with just a water base and after about six or seven hours add the milk? - Help.

[Wyogal]

I would guess (as I have never made fish in a slow cooker, let alone a chowder) that one would put the milk in right before serving, allowing it to come up to temp.

[unkljak]

Add it during the last hour

[BreezyCooking]

Is there a reason why you need to do this in a slow cooker? Because frankly, fish chowder - any seafood chowder for that matter - doesn't need or is improved by long slow cooking the way many other soups are.

You do realize that your Tilapia & surimi (imitation crab) will be reduced to shreds & your shrimp to rubber after 7 hours of cooking - even at a low temp?

Are you doing this via a specific slow-cooker recipe or just making it up on your own? Because if you're just doing this on your own, I'd definitely rethink the slow-cooker thing. Because you could whip this chowder together in a pot on your stovetop in about 45 minutes TOPS. And it'd be fresh & the seafood would actually be recognizable.

[Wyogal]

I agree.

[jennyema]

I agree too. The fish will be disintegrated and the shrimp will be rubbery. The potatoes will be gone, too probably.

Like Breezy says, chowder is a very quick thing to make in a saucepan.