The hearty soulful soup that will soothe your soul this winter while also serving you as a one pot meal is this restaurant style creamy corn and shrimp chowder!
Soup season has officially started and I can’t keep calm! I mean, I love soup and that too those ones that double up as a one pot meal with all the goodness packed in a single bowl!
Today’s recipe of creamy corn and shrimp chowder is exactly that dreamy soup recipe which will not only fill your tummy but also calm your soul on a chilly wintery night!
There is already a nip in the air in my city especially from evening onwards and I get drawn towards the hearty soups for my dinner during this winter-round-the-corner-but-not-there-yet season!
This shrimp chowder has been on my bucket list since ages and I finally served it on our dinner table last week after perfecting the recipe for you all and us too!
I’m sure you guys will love it as much as we did as soon as you give it a try; so what are you waiting for? Hurry up!
Let’s get cooking!
What is shrimp chowder?
If you are not familiar with chowder, let me then first decode it for ya!
Chowder is a soup primarily made of seafood with lots of veggies, potatoes being one of the key components. The soup broth of chowder is of creamy consistency thanks to milk and cream.
Even though the chowder broth is creamy, it is still quite light on your tummy and that’s a fantastic reason to include this insanely flavorful soup in your weekly meals this season!
The creamy corn and shrimp chowder is a one pot wonder which will serve you as a fancy and delicious dinner on the wintery nights!
This hearty soulful soup is full of incredible flavors, thanks to shrimps, rewarding you with a fancy meal right at the comfort of your home!
Ingredients for shrimp chowder
Shrimps: For a warm soulful experience, you should use small shrimps in your shrimp chowder recipe that will make your taste buds dance with joy!
That’s simply because then you will be able to combine and taste shrimps along with corn & veggies in a single scoop!
And trust me that would be an unforgettable experience which will make you keep coming back to this creamy corn and shrimp chowder again and again!
Sweetcorn: These vibrant yellow gems are a must in your shrimp chowder recipe; so I urge you not to skip it at any cost!
The fresh sweetness of sweetcorn complements the saltiness of shrimps beautifully creating the perfect palate for your taste buds!
Veggies: If you have gone through my whole post above, you already know that this corn and shrimp chowder is a one pot hearty meal with all the goodness you can possibly wish for your healthy body as well as healthy mind!
So veggies play a crucial part here; hence you have the hearty potatoes and carrots which not only fill you up but also adds to the creamy quotient of your shrimp chowder!
Carrots add the orangy brightness increasing the fiber content and potatoes are the best resistant starch you can reward yourself with which tastes amazing at the same time!
Aromatics: The key aromatic in your shrimp chowder is fresh celery stalk which adds an incredible amount of flavor that you can’t substitute with anything else.
So get your hands on a few fresh celery sticks; use the stalks, finely chopped, along with the other two quintessential aromatics that are onion and garlic.
Use the celery leaves to flavor your chowder broth at the very end of the cooking and you will thank me for it!
Spices: Your shrimp chowder is all about fresh flavors without any overwhelming spiciness! That’s why the spices used here were very minimal.
To add an additional dimension of flavor to this somewhat mild chowder, you will need a dash of chilli flakes and a tiny amount of paprika for a subtle hint of red color!
To enhance the herby flavor of your corn and shrimp chowder, sprinkle a teaspoon full of dried parsley.
Milk and flour: This shrimp chowder is essentially a creamy soup which works as a one pot meal and that creaminess comes from creating a base using milk and all purpose flour.
Once the veggies are almost cooked, just a tablespoon of all-purpose flour aka maida is sauteed in the warm pan for a minute until the raw smell is gone.
Then pour the milk to activate the thickening property of the flour which will make your shrimp chowder not only thick but also super luscious!
Cream: A creamy shrimp chowder can’t be completed without a dollop of fresh cream! But do not go overboard with it – just a couple tablespoons of fresh cream for these 4 servings of shrimp chowder is good enough!
Seasoning: Thanks to so many veggies and shrimps in this recipe, this shrimp chowder demands a generous amount of seasoning, but I suggest you keep tasting it in stages before adding salt.
As an experiment I also added a dash of oregano seasoning which I recently got my hands on! This seasoning is very different from my holy grail Italian seasoning, but worked perfectly in this seafood chowder dish!
You can give it a try too!
Pro tip: Oregano seasoning comes with salt added to it; so taste the chowder after adding it and then only adjust the seasoning with additional salt.
How to make creamy corn and shrimp chowder?
Step 1: Heat a large stockpot and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to it. Once the oil is moderately hot, add the chopped onions, minced garlic and chopped celery stalks to it.
Step 2: Sauté the aromatics on medium flame for about 6 to 8 minutes until they soften and become translucent. They will also become extremely fragrant!
Step 3: Next add the diced carrots and continue to sauté them for another 6 to 8 minutes on medium flame to soften the carrots a little.
Step 4: Now it’s time to add potatoes. Tip the potato cubes into the stockpot and continue to cook them along with the carrots and aromatics.
Pro tip: If you feel the pot is too dry and veggies are sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil to it.
Step 5: Cook the potatoes until they become light golden on the outside, about 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low heat. By this time, carrots will also be almost cooked.
Step 6: Let’s add the spices and seasoning to amp things up! Sprinkle chilli flakes, dried parsley, paprika or Kashmiri red chilli powder and oregano seasoning over the veggies.
Step 7: Stir everything well to evenly distribute the spices. Also add salt and pepper to taste and stir them in.
Step 8: It’s time to add the flour now! But before adding flour, keep the milk and water ready as you would need to move fast here!
Step 9: Sprinkle the all-purpose flour (aka maida) over the veggies and keep stirring on low heat for about 2 minutes until the raw smell of flour is gone. It would also start to stick; but do not worry!
Step 10: Pour the milk into the stockpot along with the water and give a stir using a spatula. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any stuck bit of food (that’s the flavor!).
Step 11: Bring the heat to high and let the chowder start boiling. It will also thicken as it starts boiling. Once it is on full boil, lower the heat to minimum and add the fresh cooking cream.
Step 12: Once the chowder starts to simmer again, add the peeled, deveined and cleaned shrimps to the stockpot. Also add the corn kernels.
Pro tip: I had used frozen corn kernels which is why I added them at the very end. If you are using fresh corn from cobs, add them along with potatoes.
Step 13: Cover the stockpot with a lid and let the shrimp chowder simmer for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat.
Step 14: Shrimps will cook very quickly, in about 5 to 6 minutes while also absorbing all the flavors from the chowder. The soup will also thicken as it simmers.
Step 15: After about 6 to 7 minutes, uncover the stockpot and check the doneness of the shrimps and all the veggies. Also check and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 16: If the shrimp chowder seems too thick, add a little more water and bring it to a boil. If it’s not as thick as you would like it to be, then bring the heat to high and boil off some excess water.
Step 17: Your corn and shrimp chowder is ready! Serve it into individual bowls, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and enjoy the chill in the air with this healthy shrimp soup
More delicious soup recipes from Flavor Quotient
Best Ever Creamy Corn and Shrimp Chowder | Winter Special Prawn Chowder Recipe
Author: Priyanka
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 4-5 Servings
Ingredients
- Small shrimps – 250 gms peeled, deveined and washed
- Onion – 1, small, finely chopped
- Garlic – 8 to 10 cloves, minced
- Celery stalks – 5, leaves & stalks separated and chopped
- Carrot – 2, medium, diced into half-moons
- Potato – 4, medium, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Sweetcorn kernels – ¾ cup
- Olive oil – 6 tbsp
- Chilli flakes – 1 tsp
- Paprika/red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Oregano seasoning – 2 tsp
- Dried parsley – 1 tsp
- All-purpose flour / maida – 2 tbsp
- Milk – 2 cups
- Water – 2 cups
- Cream – ¼ cup
- Black pepper – ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to it. Once the oil is moderately hot, add the chopped onions, minced garlic and chopped celery stalks to it.
- Sauté the aromatics on medium flame for about 6 to 8 minutes until they soften and become translucent. They will also become extremely fragrant!
- Next add the diced carrots and continue to sauté them for another 6 to 8 minutes on medium flame to soften the carrots a little.
- Now it’s time to add potatoes. Tip the potato cubes into the stockpot and continue to cook them along with the carrots and aromatics.**
- Cook the potatoes until they become light golden on the outside, about 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low heat. By this time, carrots will also be almost cooked.
- Let’s add the spices and seasoning to amp things up! Sprinkle chilli flakes, dried parsley, paprika or Kashmiri red chilli powder and oregano seasoning over the veggies.
- Stir everything well to evenly distribute the spices. Also add salt and pepper to taste and stir them in.
- It’s time to add the flour now! But before adding flour, keep the milk and water ready as you would need to move fast here!
- Sprinkle the all-purpose flour (aka maida) over the veggies and keep stirring on low heat for about 2 minutes until the raw smell of flour is gone. It would also start to stick; but do not worry!
- Pour the milk into the stockpot along with the water and give a stir using a spatula. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any stuck bit of food (that’s the flavor!).
- Bring the heat to high and let the chowder start boiling. It will also thicken as it starts boiling. Once it is on full boil, lower the heat to minimum and add the fresh cooking cream.
- Once the chowder starts to simmer again, add the peeled, deveined and cleaned shrimps to the stockpot. Also add the corn kernels.***
- Cover the stockpot with a lid and let the shrimp chowder simmer for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat.
- Shrimps will cook very quickly, in about 5 to 6 minutes while also absorbing all the flavors from the chowder. The soup will also thicken as it simmers.
- After about 6 to 7 minutes, uncover the stockpot and check the doneness of the shrimps and all the veggies. Also check and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- If the shrimp chowder seems too thick, add a little more water and bring it to a boil. If it’s not as thick as you would like it to be, then bring the heat to high and boil off some excess water.
- Your corn and shrimp chowder is ready! Serve it into individual bowls, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and enjoy the chill in the air with this healthy shrimp soup!
Notes
***Pro tip: I had used frozen corn kernels which is why I added them at the very end. If you are using fresh corn from cobs, add them along with potatoes.
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