Summer Shrimp and Corn Chowder - Southern Low Country Style

Chowder was originally thought to be brought to Newfoundland by the French Bretons who referred to it as “cauldron” It originated as a rich clam stew. The Southern US and their coastal areas where shrimp is abundant adopted the chowder and added sweet corn to add a rich sweetness to their crab or shrimp chowders. The best part about traveling to the food capitals of the South such as Savannah, Charleston and the coastal areas such as Sea Island are the summer chowders full of creamy goodness, potatoes, corn and fresh coastal seafood. My favorite shrimp come from the Gulf region stretching all the way from the Keys up to Maryland. These pink shrimp are the most flavorful, sweet shrimp with the best firm texture. And much cleaner than the Asian Shrimp. In my book nothing compares. If you wish to make crab chowder instead, see variations of the recipe down below.

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes total (some cooking time will overlap)

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups milk

4 cups chicken broth

3 bottles clam juice

6 Tbs of butter

1 very lg. onion (3 cups chopped)

1 cup sliced celery

1 leek with the white part sliced into rounds, washed free of silt

1 poblano chili

1 ½ lbs. of small potatoes, cut in half

7 ears corn (one reserved for garnish)

6 pieces of nitrate free turkey bacon

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 Tbs of sugar

¼ tsp nutmeg

5 Tbs Parsley, 2 reserved for serving)

¾ cup dry chardonnay

1 ½ cups of heavy cream

2 Tbs of GMO free cornstarch

2 tsp salt

ground pepper

(may add ¼ tsp of crushed red pepper, the poblano will have a little spice)

Shrimp:

2 lbs shelled pink shrimp (about 2 ½ lbs before shelling)

2 Tbs of butter

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp salt

1 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp pepper

For serving:

2 Tbs of chopped parsley

1 reserved ear of corn - cut off the cob with a knife in large slices

Sourdough bread cut into slices, brushed with olive oil and garlic salt and toasted

Directions:

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add the 7 ears of shucked corn and 2 Tbs of salt. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove. Let rest until cool. Take a knife and slice all of the corn off of the cobb in long strips. Do not break up.

While waiting for the water to boil for the corn, sauté the onions and the sliced leeks in the butter in a large frying pan until the onions are translucent and the leeks fold their round shape.

Roast the Poblano chili. If you have a gas stovetop then you can roast the poblano chili over the open flame by just setting it over the top of your burner, turning it every 3 minutes until the skin is black all at the way around. About 10-15 minutes. If not, preheat your oven to Broil. Place the pepper on a cookie sheet and place on a rack about 8-9 inches below the broiler. Watch it carefully, turn it about every 3-5 minutes to evenly blacken it. When the pepper is done. Remove it, place in a paper bag to steam. If you do not have a paper bag then wrap it up in a piece of parchment paper to steam. After the pepper rests about 30 minutes, remove. The skin should be easy to remove with your fingers. Chop the pepper, reserve.

Rinse the large stockpot. Pour in the chicken broth, the milk and the clam juice. Place the cobbs from the corn (without the corn) in the liquid. Add the dried thyme, the garlic powder, nutmeg, sugar and the bay leaves to the mixture. Add the potatoes. Bring to a light simmer, simmer for 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, cook the turkey bacon until crisp. Crumble the bacon.

Add the Poblano pepper to the soup after it simmers the 15 minutes. Add the crumbled turkey bacon. Mix the 2 Tbs of cornstarch with the cream. Stir well so that there are no lumps. Add the cream/cornstarch mixture to the soup and simmer until it thickens a bit, 5 minutes. Add the wine and parsley. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Add the reserved strips of corn kernels (keeping 1 aside for garnish).

Prepare the shrimp. Cut each shrimp in half horizontally. Place in a bowl and toss with all of the spices. Melt the butter on medium heat, add the shrimp and sauté briefly, like 2-3 minutes.

Serve the soup in bowls. Top with the sautéed shrimp and the reserved corn kernel. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and ground pepper. Serve

Alternative recipes

Grilled Salmon with Sauce or Smoked Salmon Chowder - If you have left over soup. You can pour it over salmon for a sauce. Or, you can add slices of smoked salmon to the soup, warm it up for a nice smoky soup.

Crab Bisque - Omit the step for the shrimp. Stir in 2 lbs. of lump crab into the soup before serving.