Corn Chowder
This corn chowder recipe leans on one step most cooks skip: the stripped cobs go into the pot to simmer, so the soup turns silky and sweet without tasting like flour paste.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot - 5 to 6 quart (5 to 6 liter)
- Immersion blender - or a regular blender if you work in batches
- Sharp chef's knife - for dicing the vegetables and stripping the corn
- Sturdy cutting board
- Wooden spoon - for stirring the roux without scratching the pot
- Soup Ladle - for serving
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon - chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - 28 g
- 1 large yellow onion - about 1½ cups or 180 g, diced
- 2 stalks celery - diced
- 1 red bell pepper - diced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour - 40 g
- 4 cups chicken broth - 950 ml; vegetable broth works too
- 1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes - 680 g; peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
- 6 cups corn kernels - about 900 g; from roughly 6 fresh ears (reserve the cobs) or from frozen
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup heavy cream - 240 ml
- 1 cup whole milk - 240 ml
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- sliced green onions and chopped chives - to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot, then pour off all but about 2 tablespoons.
- Melt the butter in the bacon fat over medium heat, then stir in the onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the onion is translucent, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and stir constantly for about 2 minutes so the flour coats everything and loses its raw smell. The mixture will look thick and pasty.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring to smooth out any lumps. Add the potatoes, reserved corn cobs, bay leaf, thyme, and smoked paprika, then bring to a gentle boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and cook 12 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Stir in the corn kernels and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes so the corn cooks through and releases its sweetness.
- Discard the corn cobs and bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to pulse the soup a few times, blending roughly a third of it while leaving most of the kernels and potato chunks whole.
- Lower the heat to the barest simmer and pour in the heavy cream and whole milk, stirring gently. Warm through for 3 to 4 minutes without letting it boil, then taste and season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Ladle the chowder into bowls and top each with the crisp bacon, sliced green onions, and chopped chives. Serve hot with extra black pepper at the table.
Notes
- Keep the dairy below a boil. Letting the pot come to a hard bubble after the cream goes in can split it into grainy curds, so pull the heat all the way down before any dairy touches the pot.
- Save your cobs. Keep scraped cobs in a zip-top bag in the freezer whenever you cut corn for other meals, so there is always a stash ready to deepen the broth even when using frozen kernels.
- Blend just a portion. Over-blending turns the whole thing into a puree; a third is the sweet spot for a creamy body that still has texture.
- Season in layers. Salt the vegetables lightly as they cook, then adjust again at the very end once the dairy has mellowed everything.
- Cut potatoes evenly. Uniform ½-inch cubes cook at the same rate, so none turn to mush while others stay firm.
- Add a splash of acid. A small squeeze of lime or a dash of hot sauce at the end brightens the richness without anyone noticing why.
- Let it rest. Even 10 minutes off the heat lets the flavors settle and the chowder thicken to its final consistency.
- Make it vegetarian by skipping the bacon, cooking the vegetables in 3 tablespoons of butter, using vegetable broth, and adding ½ teaspoon smoked paprika plus a pinch of chipotle for the smoky note.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooled chowder in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often, and never let it come to a rolling boil.
- Freezing: Cream-based soups can turn grainy once frozen and thawed. For best results, freeze the chowder before adding the dairy, then stir in the cream and milk fresh when you reheat. Frozen without dairy, the base keeps well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 410kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 11gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 720mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 8mg
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