Shrimp and Corn Chowder
An easy, creamy chowder that’s incredibly smoky, sweet and packed with tons of flavor!
I’ve still been wearing flip flops here in Southern California but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a pot of piping hot soup in this 80 degree weather.
Especially when that soup has sautéed shrimp, sweet corn kernels and, of course, bacon. All in one smoky, creamy bowl of goodness.
And that bacon. Did I mention all that crisp bacon bits right there on top?
Best of all, you can control the heat levels by adding more or less paprika, to taste – although I say the more the better because that smokiness is the true star in this soup!
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
An easy, creamy chowder that’s incredibly smoky, sweet and packed with tons of flavor!
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, or more, to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain excess fat, reserving 1 tablespoon.
- Add shrimp to the stockpot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Add garlic and onion to the stockpot, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in paprika, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Whisk in chicken stock, corn and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 12-15 minutes; discard bay leaf. Add heavy cream and puree with an immersion blender.
- Serve immediately with shrimp, garnished with bacon and parsley leaves, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this last weekend. I doubled most of the spices because I love smoked paprika. It was outstanding and even better the next day. Next time, I will try adding a little white wine.
I just wanted to say YUMMY! I made this for dinner and my hubby and I loved it.
Great flavour, but mine came out quite thin. Definitely not as thick as the picture. I even tried adding more corn. Any suggestions?
Unfortunately, corn will not really help thicken up the soup. But you can try adding a little more heavy cream as needed.
This soup was delicious!. I added potatos and peppers and made stock (using shrimp shells, corn cobs, onion and garlic) instead of chicken stock. So comforting on a cold winter day. Will definitely be checking out more of your recipes!
Just made this soup, followed the directions exactly, and used the immersion blender. However my soup also came out with a watery consistency. Could it be that I used canned corn? Hmm. Flavors are great just wish it was a bit more of a creamy chowder consistency
Nicole, this soup does not have that super thick consistency as, say, clam chowder. However, with the help of the immersion blender, there should still be a bit of thickness and texture to the soup. Also, if you did not drain the corn prior to using, that could also contribute to the consistency of the soup.
Me and the hubby loved this recipe. I made it for dinner and we both love the heat and the smokiness from this recipe. Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much for the recipe! I am making right now… what do I do with the 1 TBSP of bacon fat that was set aside? Do I add that back in when I am adding the heavy cream maybe?
Jennifer, the reserved bacon fat should have been used when cooking the shrimp.
This was superb! I followed exactly as written and after puree’ing I added a little extra corn when adding in the shrimp and bacon. One of my teens professes to hate shrimp but he even gobbled it up, using some warm ciabatta to get every last drip. My only thought is this barely serves four….either that or we are just gluttons 🙂
great flavor but mine came out very watery 🙁 I even reduced it longer than the recipe calls for. Bummer because I was so set on that chowdery texture…I’ll add potatoes next time.
Bummer! Did you puree with an immersion blender?
Made this chowder last night and it…was…DELICIOUS! It’s smokey and warm and extremely filling. My 7 year old even loved it, closing her eyes and savoring each bite! Perfect for a cold night next to the fire. I think next time we may add extra corn after blending the soup to add a little more texture, and our shrimp was fairly big, so I’ll probably chop smaller before adding back to the soup – just so the bites are SO big. Thanks for a great recipe (many great recipes!!).
This sounds delicious. I can’t tell if I’m just missing it on the recipe, but does the bacon get brought back in for pureeing? So everything is pureed except the shrimp? (minus anything for garnish, that is). Is that right?
Lisa, the bacon is added at the very end:
Serve immediately with shrimp, garnished with bacon and parsley leaves, if desired.
I didn’t use an immersion blender or a blender at all. We really enjoyed it with whole corn in it. My husband wants me to add potatoes in it next time. It was a hit! Even better the second day.
It was very good, but it needed a savory touch, so I added some Puerto Rican homemade “recaito” and some finely diced potatoes to give it more oomph. Worked. 🙂
I made this tonight, and everything was going great until I got the the immersion blender step. I don’t have an immersion blender but I do have a very nice, strong Black & Decker with many different speeds and settings and something like 5hp. I added about half the soup to the blender, put the lid on and hit the lowest speed, purée. Soup everywhere. After I cleaned the stove, counter, microwave, floor, and dog I put the lid back and and a towel over that to catch anything that decided to try and escape this time.
… Adventures in blending aside, wonderful recipe and everyone enjoyed it, even the dog. Thanks.
Oh no! I can’t believe the lid flew off but I’m glad everyone still enjoyed it! 🙂
The same thing happened to me! I think it is because I should have waited until it cooled a little. It was definitely the heat pressure that blew the lid off. HOT soup everywhere, including me. Ugh. Lesson learned.
Oh my gosh me too! Lol but soup burns and mess aside, the recipe was amazing and my husband is already begging me to make it again and double it! He said “This soup tastes like it could be from a steakhouse.” The best part is how easy it was!
Shrimp and corn chowder on the stovetop right now. I am hovering over the pot “sampling” so there may not be enough for dinner :). Used canned cream of corn that I had in the pantry instead of whole corn and the immersion blender to chop up. Thank you for the recipe. This one will be in my regular rotation.
I made your chicken and corn chowder last week since it’s started getting chilly here in Alabama, and my fiancé and I loved it! I’ve shared that recipe with all of my co-workers, and they love it, too. Definitely going to give this seafood version a try!
Do you use regular paprika or smokey? I didn’t know regular paprika was smokey.
It is best to used smoked paprika.
This looks and the ingredients sound amazing. I’m lactose intolerant. What can I use in place of the heavy cream without compromising flavor?
Thanks!!
Nancy, you can certainly try substituting something else but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Please use you best judgment to make the appropriate substitutions to fit your dietary restrictions.
I appreciate your feedback! Thanks!!
Cashew cream
my husband is lactose intolerant – i sub heavy cream for a mixture of lactaid milk and butter (1/3 cup butter melted COOLED COMPLETLY and combine with 2/3 cup milk gets you one cup heavy cream sub). the butter MUST BE COOLED and warm the milk a bit before combining or it won’t mix
This was SO GOOD!! Made a double batch and there was none left! My immersion blender broke – so did batches in my blender. Only complaint was mine turned out very soupy – didn’t have the chowder consistency. That said – it was awesome – super flavorful and very easy to make. A keeper!! Will make it again once I get a new immersion blender!
If I don’t have an immersion blender, would this be OK if the heavy cream was simply stirred in?
Maggie, it is certainly fine if you stir it in but you will not have that creamy texture. You can alternatively use a blender if you do not have an immersion blender.