Bacon Shrimp Corn Chowder

This thick, creamy shrimp corn chowder is pure joy in a bowl. Juicy, plump shrimp, sweet pops of corn kernels, and crispy bacon – this soup is thick, creamy, flavorful, and comforting. At home, we enjoy soup all year round, made with a variety of seasonal produce. While summer is not the soup season, I still make this soup on not-so-hot days. Because you get the best of corn in summer, and along with corn kernels, adding the cob to the soup base adds so much flavour and sweetness to the broth.

Of course, you can make this chowder anytime of the year with frozen corn. But you should give this recipe a try while you still get seasonal fresh corn. It is easy and quick to make. I have another corn chowder recipe made in an Instant Pot , if you are into creamy, thick soups.

What Goes In Shrimp Chowder

Here is a list of ingredients you need for making the chowder, and a few notes

• Shrimp– Use medium-sized ones. Larger ones are not fun to eat in a soup or you can just cut large shrimp in half.
• Corn– Go for the fresh summer corn while it’s still available. You will have the advantage of using the corn cob in the soup base as well. For the rest of the year, you can use frozen corn.
• Bacon- Adds that crisp element and use the bacon drippings to saute onion and garlic.
• Stock– Because chowder is ideally seafood-based, a seafood stock is preferred for the depth of flavor. But let’s admit that a good quality seafood stock is not easily available, and also making one at home from scratch is not fun. So I went for a chicken stock for its neutral flavour. However, if you want a little extra flavor, then save the head and tail of the shrimp. Clean them really well, add them to chicken stock, and boil. Your regular chicken stock will get a quick flavour boost.
• Butter– For making the roux. Oil is not a great alternative for this recipe.
• Flour– Saute it butter for the soup base.
• Onion and garlic
• Thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
• Heavy cream

Here is how to make it

Making chowder is pretty much one-pot fare. Keep everything measured and ready.

Once the bacon is cooked crispy, remove the bacon, drain, and keep aside. Keep about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in the pan and discard the rest. Saute shrimp for 2 minutes in the same pan and keep aside covered.

Steps To Make Shrimp Corn Chowder

The corn chowder recipe is pretty simple and easy. You need only one pot and less than 30 minutes to make.

Start with preparing the ingredients. Clean corn and devein shrimps. I prefer keeping the tail on because it adds much more flavor to the broth.  If using frozen shrimp, keep it out on the kitchen counter to thaw.

When the prep is done, begin with cooking bacon and make them brown and crispy. It is tempting to let go of that bacon fat, but the flavor would be overpowering. So remove extra bacon fat from the pan.

The next step is to saute the shrimp in butter till it turns pink. Remove from the pan and keep aside. (This step is completely optional)

To the same pan, add minced garlic and onion. Cook until it has softened and no more raw smell is there. We are not browning onions too much because it would change the color of the soup.

Next is to make the roux.