Equipment
Ingredients
Base and Aromatics
- 150 g smoked bacon, diced
- 150 g yellow onion, diced small
- 100 g celery, diced small
- 3 garlic, minced
Roux and Liquids
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 500 ml seafood stock
- 500 ml whole milk, room temperature
Bulk Ingredients
- 400 g red potato, unpeeled, diced into 1cm cubes
- 300 g sweet corn kernels, fresh or thawed frozen
- 300 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
Seasoning and Garnish
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- 10 g fresh chives, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 463 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbohydrates
- 49 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 1422 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Cholesterol
- 135 mg
- Potassium
- 1428 mg
- Calcium
- 243 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 116 mg
- Phosphorus
- 522 mg
- Zinc
- 2.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 103 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 20 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 12 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 1.99 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.61 mg
- Niacin
- 7.2 mg
- Folate
- 92 mcg
- Water
- 506 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place diced bacon in a cold Dutch oven. Heat over medium and cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove half the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve for garnish, leaving the remaining bacon and all rendered fat in the pot.
Add the diced yellow onion and celery to the hot bacon fat. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute until fragrant.
Sprinkle the all-purpose flour and smoked paprika over the vegetable mixture. Stir continuously for 2 minutes to cook the raw flour taste out, creating a fragrant blonde roux.
Gradually pour in the seafood stock and whole milk while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. Bring the liquid to a very gentle simmer around 90°C/195°F. Do not let it reach a rolling boil.
Stir in the diced red potatoes. Maintain the gentle simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are completely tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the sweet corn kernels and raw shrimp. Cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, reaching an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F.
Remove the pot from the heat. Taste the broth and season with kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Ladle the hot chowder into bowls and garnish with the reserved crispy bacon and fresh chives.
Chef's Notes
- Starting bacon in a cold pot renders the fat much more efficiently than tossing it into a hot pan, resulting in crispier bacon and more usable fat for your roux.
- Red potatoes are ideal here because their waxy nature helps them hold their shape during the simmer, unlike russets which would disintegrate and make the soup overly starchy.
- If using frozen sweet corn, there is no need to thaw it first. Just add it straight from the freezer when you add the shrimp.
- For an even richer mouthfeel, substitute half of the milk with heavy cream, adding the cream at the very end of cooking.
- When raw shrimp curl into a tight O shape, they are overcooked. Aim for a loose C shape.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Seafood degrades quickly. Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Potatoes may change texture and milk may split upon thawing. Reheat gently.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat. Do not boil, or the milk will curdle and the shrimp will toughen.
Troubleshooting
Broth has separated or looks grainy
Cause: The milk was boiled too vigorously, causing the dairy proteins to curdle.
Fix: Whisk vigorously off the heat or blend a small ladleful until smooth and return it to the pot, but textural damage is largely permanent.
Prevention: Never allow milk-based soups to exceed a gentle simmer.
Shrimp are rubbery and tough
Cause: Shrimp were left boiling in the broth for too long.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once overcooked. Chop finely if textural issue is too unpleasant.
Prevention: Add shrimp at the very end of cooking and remove from heat immediately once they turn opaque.
Cultural Context
Chowders originated in coastal maritime regions as a hearty, economical way for fishermen to utilize leftover daily catch alongside ship staples like hardtack, which was later replaced by potatoes and flour as thickeners. The addition of sweet corn bridges classic New England seafood chowders with Midwestern harvest corn chowders, creating a distinctly American comfort dish.
