This Seafood Chowder highlights shrimp and my bi color non-GMO Talley Farms corn as the main attraction. Coconut milk takes the place of cream combined with chicken broth to create a full bodied, rich broth. In an effort to heighten the flavor even more, my secret is to simmer the corn cobs right in the soup and pull them out before adding the cooked bacon and shrimp.
The flavor profile of this soup is really enhanced with the spice combination of cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. The addition of bacon also lends to the underlying smokiness, however can easily be omitted for those who don’t eat meat. In that case, just use olive oil to sauté the onion and vegetables instead of bacon fat.
If you follow my blog, then you know that I love to garnish my soups! I happened to have some pineapple sage in my herb garden that I thought would marry nicely with the mild flavors of the corn and shrimp. (Plain sage would work well also.) Rather than a chiffonade of fresh herbs, I decided to fry the sage for a nice crispy topping adding a little texture to the creamy soup. It gave me a wonderful result!
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
- 3 cups corn (from 3 large ears) – save the corn cobs
- 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound medium/large shrimp, peeled, deveined and sliced in half lengthwise
- Fried Sage Leaves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch sage leaves, stemmed and separated into individual leaves (I used pineapple sage)
- flake salt
Directions
- Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until lightly crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, potatoes, and corn and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the coconut milk, broth, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add 2-3 of the corn cobs to the pot, breaking them in half if necessary to fit them in. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the cobs and discard.
- Return the bacon to the pan and add the shrimp and simmer until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top with some fried sage leaves.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the sage leaves and fry for 15-30 seconds until crisp, stirring a couple times carefully so they don’t break. With a slotted spoon, remove them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. (Make sure not to let them brown or they will turn bitter)
- Sage leaves can be stored up to 2 days in an airtight container on the counter.
- Slicing the shrimp lengthwise allows the shrimp to be both bite size and plentiful!
(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Soups)