Shrimp and Corn Chowder
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
This rich chowder is easy to make and I promise everyone will love it. I consider this a treat meal if you make the full fat version. It’s one of my sister’s favorite dishes and one that I often make for special occasions, or dinner parties. I made it this week for her birthday. If you want to make a lighter version just see my notes below. You can also make the bulk of the soup the day before and just finish it off the night you are serving it.
Makes about 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 Cups of plain frozen corn cornels
- 6 Slices of bacon
- 4 Scallions thinly sliced. (Save about a 1/2 cup of the greens sliced thinly for adding later in the recipe.)
- 1 Medium sized sweet onion, chopped
- 1 Red bell pepper, thickly chopped
- 4 Medium potatoes, skin on cut into1 inch cubes (any kind will work)
- 1 32oz container of Chicken Stock
- 2 Cups of heavy whipping cream (Can substitute Fat Free Half and Half or Milk see notes below.)
- ½ Stick of butter
- 2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 Cup Sherry Wine (optional)
- 1 1/2 Pounds medium frozen cooked peeled and deveined shrimp (You can also use fresh raw shrimp that have been shelled and deveined)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high until crisp and browned, about 7-8 minutes. Do not burn! Leave bacon fat in pan but transfer bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel. Once it’s cool you can crumble it with your fingers.
Add butter, onions, scallions, and potatoes to the pan. Add the Old Bay seasoning and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 5-10 minutes until onions have softened. Make sure stir the post so you don’t burn the onions. Turn up the heat and add the Sherry wine if using it and cook for a minute of two. Add the chicken stock and turn down the heat to medium so the pot is simmering. Add the chopped red bell pepper and parsley, allow soup to simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Make Ahead Cook’s notes: Soup can be made ahead of time up to this point and put in the refrigerator for the next day. Allow soup to cool after it has cooked for 30 minutes and put in a Tupperware. About 30 minutes before your dinner party put soup in a pot and cook on a low heat until it simmers. Then follow the direction below as if you never refrigerated the soup.
Once soup has cooked for about 30 minutes you can turn up the heat again and add the frozen shrimp and the corn, the half and half or heavy cream, the remainder of the green onion and the crumbled bacon. Cook for about 5 more minutes then remove from the heat. Allow soup to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving. If you are serving this for a dinner party you might want to have some extra parsley, bacon and green onion for a fancy garnish on each bowl.
This can also be served with some Oyster crackers.
I serve this sometimes as an appetizer with a beef meal or as a main coarse with a salad for a lighter dinner or luncheon.
Healthy Version Cook’s Notes: If you want to make a lighter version you can leave out the bacon or replace it with turkey bacon and use 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in place of the butter. Replace the Heavy Whipping Cream with fat free half and half or try 2 cups of skin milk mixed with two tablespoons of cornstarch or flour as a thickening agent. The lighter version is extremely tasty just not as creamy and fattening as the full fat version.
