Summer Shrimp and Corn Chowder
When sweet and juicy ears of corn start hitting the market it’s hard not to get a little excited. To take full advantage, this chowder uses the whole ear: the kernels add sweetness and texture while the cobs are boiled with the potatoes to create a quick stock. Half of the potatoes get mashed and mixed back in for a bit of thickness, but feel free to skip this if you prefer a thin chowder. It is rounded out with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, shrimp, and a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs for a summery stew that is hearty enough to be a meal but light enough to enjoy on a hot summer day.
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn shucked
- 16 oz (about 3 medium) Yukon gold potatoes cubed
- 2 slices bacon diced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ cup whole milk
- 8 oz shrimp peeled, deveined, and tail-off
- Tender herbs such as parsley, cilantro, basil, tarragon, and mint
- Toasted bread for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Cut kernels off of corn cobs. Set kernels aside and place cobs in a medium saucepan. Add potatoes and fill saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling cook for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat.
- While potatoes are cooking add bacon to a Dutch oven in an even layer and place over medium heat. Cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until starting to brown. Add onions and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 6-8 minutes. Add corn kernels, zucchini, tomatoes, salt, and white pepper, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
- Discard corn cobs and strain cooking liquid into the Dutch oven. Add about half of the potatoes to the Dutch oven and return the rest to the saucepan. Mash potatoes in the saucepan, then stir in milk. Stir mashed potatoes into chowder.
- Bring to a simmer then add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chowder with a generous sprinkling of herbs and a side of toasted bread, if desired.
Notes
Fresh corn could be replaced with canned or frozen corn if fresh corn is out of season.