Corn Chowder Recipe. All Variations
Corn Chowder
A chowder almost always signals the presence of potatoes, and a hearty creamy-chunky texture. This corn chowder has an added appeal: a lovely pale yellow color. Make this soup only with fresh corn please, when it is tender and sweet.
This corn chowder packs a great flavor punch, and needs no help from dairy ingredients. But just in case you might want to splurge on an occasional dairy meal, throw in 1-2 cups freshly grated cheddar.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Corn!
Corn Bread, Corn Salsa, Corn pudding: give it to me in any shape or form!
Use the Corn Cobs!
Did you know the cobs impart great flavor to soup? Look at all the exciting ways you can use corn cobs! The cobs are free and always on hand when you use scrape the kernels off their cobs!
Corn Chowder Variations
I am including a fish as well as a chicken variation. There are so many ways to enjoy chowder: with cheese, with cream, with tomatoes, “all-white”, etc… This recipe. Includes all the variations, all delicious. I am leaving my basic recipe all-white, and you will find the additions and variations in the instructions.
Corn Chowder Freezes Very Well!
In the unlikely event you might have leftovers, do not hesitate to freeze the soup. You’ll be mighty happy to find it when you are rummaging your freezer for a treat!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 4 leeks, white parts only, sliced
- 4 ribs celery, peeled
- 6 large cloves garlic
- 1 bunch dill, fronds and stems
- 2 yellow peppers, cut in large chunks
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels, from about 6 ears corn (Reserve the stripped cobs.)
- 3 quarts (12 cups) water
- 2 large potatoes, cut in small cubes
- 2 cups dry white wine
- Good pinch saffron
- 6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground
- 1 cup white miso paste, a little more if the finished soup needs to taste saltier
- 4 cups milk or dairy-free milk, low-fat OK
- Good pinch nutmeg
- Pinch cayenne
- Ground pepper to taste
- 2 cups grated cheddar, optional
Instructions
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. In a food processor, coarsely grind the leeks, celery, garlic, dill, and peppers. Add the ground mixture to the hot oil and sauté until translucent. Add the corn, water, reserved cobs, potatoes, wine, saffron and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium and cook covered for 30 minutes. Whisk in the miso, milk, nutmeg , cayenne, and pepper and cook 2–3 more minutes until just hot—do not boil or it might curdle. Discard the cobs. With an immersion blender, directly in the pot, purée about a third of the soup, leaving the rest chunky. Adjust the texture and seasonings. Serve hot. Makes a dozen ample servings.
VARIATIONS:
- Tomato corn chowder : Reduce the water to 8 cups and add 4 cups canned crushed tomatoes; cook as above.
- Corn fish chowder: Use either the basic corn chowder or the tomato corn chowder recipe; throw in about 2-4 cups small salmon cubes after puréeing the soup, and cook 10 more minutes. No optional cheddar.
- Corn chicken chowder : Use the basic corn chowder recipe: throw in 3-4 cups diced chicken breasts after puréeing the soup, and cook 10 more minutes. No question of the cheddar here.
Hi Levana! Shana Tovah. My twins (now 2 1/2) love corn. I can’t wait to make this chowder and I have all the ingredients ready to go. I see that this recipe makes a large batch and I recall you encouraging everyone to not waste energy making small amounts of soup. I am wondering how to freeze this soup given the addition of milk (I will be using a pareve milk, likely almond.) I would not want the quality to suffer after defrosting. Looking forward to your response.
Michelle so nice to hear from you. 21/2 years old, wow! I would love to see them- and you!
Go ahead and freeze the soup. It will freeze perfectly. When reheating, heat it up just below boiling.
Have a wonderful Happy Healthy New Year, Easy and meaningful fast xoxoxo
“1 cup white miso paste, a little more if the finished soup needs to taste saltier”
Sorry – am I reading this right? Miso is strong, it seems that 1 cup is too much, no? Especially with a paste? What is “white miso”?
Lina THe soup is a large batch, so 1 cup is about right. Please note there is no salt whatsoever added to the whole soup, just the miso. White miso is from a lighter bean (chick pea, rice etc)
First off all, kudos on the idea of using miso as a pareve soup base! I usually use Osem powders, but miso is healthier and is also a probiotic.
I’m not sure how much dill you mean by “1 bunch”. I used half of a bunch, and it was still way too much. Could you please use spoon/cup measurements next time, considering that not all bunches are universal?
Lisa I wish you would banish those powders forever. Looks like you get your hands on real large bunches (lucky you!) The bunch I have in mind is a regular bunch dill, take a look https://www.google.com/search?hl=EN&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=639&q=dill+bunch&oq=dill+bunch&gs_l=img.3..0.2436.7235.0.7623.10.8.0.2.2.0.150.581.7j1.8.0….0…1ac.1.45.img..0.10.583.3MKV7bJ1g3I#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=jhBaNp-0mgHQkM%253A%3BrV9FE6hM5JilmM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.indepthinfo.com%252Fdill%252Fimages%252Fdill-bunch.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.indepthinfo.com%252Fdill%252Fhealth-benefits.htm%3B300%3B194