Shrimp and Corn Chowder Recipe
A rich, light Shrimp and Corn Chowder brings all the taste of Southern comfort food creating a bowl of soup that's hearty, satisfying, but won't weigh you down.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 289kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb unshelled large shrimp 21/25 count, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
- 1 sweet onion coarsely chopped
- 1 carrot coarsely chopped
- Scraped kernels from 4 ears fresh sweet corn about 2 cups, cobs reserved and halved
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp pure olive oil
- 1 poblano chile cored seeded and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 large russet potato cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 6 ounces)
- 3 springs fresh thyme leaves only
- 2 bay leaves preferably fresh
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 12 grape tomatoes quartered, or 1 ripe tomato, cored and chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Smoked paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Put the shrimp shells in a medium pot and add the coarsely chopped onion, carrot, and halved corn cobs. (It's all about building layers of flavor.) Top with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and decrease the heat to simmer. Cook until the broth is slightly colored and smells lightly sweet, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl, discarding the solids, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the poblano, celery, chopped onion, garlic, potato, and reserved corn kernels. Add the thyme, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp stock and milk, then cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover, decrease the heat to medium-low, and gently simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- To finish the soup, in the stockpot, using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Or, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth, a little at a time. Leave it coarse and chunky if you prefer a more rustic soup or puree until smooth for a more elegant soup. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. If needed, rewarm the soup over medium-low heat. Stir in the reserved shrimp and tomato; cook until the shrimp are opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley and taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Divide among warmed bowls and sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately.
Notes
How to Store & Reheat
Allow it to cool down completely and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, heat over medium-low heat in a saucepan until it's heated through. If the soup seems a bit thick you can add some more milk or broth to thin it out. For best results enjoy this chowder within 2-3 days of preparing. I don't suggest freezing this because the texture will change quite a bit.Nutrition
Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 883mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2595IU | Vitamin C: 41.2mg | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 3.2mg