I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel but winter is still here so dinner tonight was a bowl of Shrimp and Corn Chowder. I put up a bushel of corn last summer and I still had a few bags left in my freezer. I highly recommended blanching and freezing vegetables in the summer and keeping them in a deep freezer so you can enjoy them all year long. This is something that my mom did every summer when I was a kid and I now do it as an adult. If you want to learn how to "put up" corn as we say in the South, you can check out my YouTube video on how to do it.
Now, let get into this chowder. I love corn chowder especially if it is paired with bacon. I used the bacon fat to help build the flavor of the chowder and cooked the shrimp and the vegetables in the bacon grease which gave it such amazing flavor. I made my chowder in my Dutch Oven but any large pot will do. I think any good chowder has to have potatoes but I cut up my potatoes fairly small so they could soften perfectly in the chowder and not be too chunky. I give this dish a 10/10 because it was so filling and warmed my soul on a cold night. I served it with a few hushpuppies on the side but it would also be great with cheddar biscuits or oyster crackers. The recipe for my Southern Style Hushpuppies and Cheddar Bay Biscuits are here on my blog. Go and get the tea! I hope you and your family enjoy this dish as much as my family did! Tag me on social media if you decide to make it!
Ingredients Needed to Make Shrimp and Corn Chowder
8 ears of fresh corn cut off the cob or 2 cans of creamed corn
5 slices of bacon, diced
1 shallot, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4-5 small potatoes, diced
1 lb of shrimp deveined and cut in half
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Paprika to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Onion Powder to taste
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of heavy cream
5-6 scallions chopped
Directions to Make Shrimp and Corn Chowder
1. Add bacon to a large pot and cook over medium-high heat for 4-8 minutes until crisp. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and set aside.
2. Season shrimp to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Add shrimp to pot and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until begins to brown and shrimp turns opaque. Remove from the pot and set aside,
3. Add diced shallots, onions and garlic to the pot until the translucent. Once they are fragrant have soften, add the diced potatoes. Cook the potatoes for just a few mins to absorb the bacon fat.
4. Add corn, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then pour in heavy cream. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add shrimp and chopped scallions and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
5. Garnish with crispy bacon and more scallions and serve.