Fry
Summer Corn Chowder
Popular on Food52
69 Reviews
Scritch
August 5, 2019
I discovered this probably six or seven years ago and it's one of the few recipes I make EVERY summer. So good! Sometimes I swap out the poblano for a bell pepper, and sometimes I swap out the fresh tomatoes for canned, it's pretty flexible.
copywolf
November 23, 2018
Okay maybe this sounds crazy, but I used leftover succotash from Thanksgiving to make this chowder and it turned out great. Did everything according to the recipe except that I added the succotash - corn, lima beans and tomatoes substituting for corn, potatoes and tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious. Would definitely make again and it's always great to have a new leftover solution.
Alison
August 7, 2018
I made this Sunday night, because I had some fresh corn from Saturday that didn't wind up on the table after all. So delicious! I had most of the ingredients (other than jalapeño, so I used red pepper flakes, which worked fine to add a little heat). I used smaller, "baby" red potatoes, unpeeled, and also didn't peel the fresh tomatoes (although I did seed them). The main difference is that I added a cup of chicken stock to the vegetables after they are combined and sizzling in the pan. I don't know if this is because I live in a dry region (Colorado), or because the corn was a day old, but there wasn't a lot of "milk" in the ears, and I felt that the mixture was too dry to cook as directed. This extra did the trick--I did add a few tablespoons of flour to the vegetables before I added the half and half and milk (2%, what I had) in equal proportions (1.5 cup each), to make sure it wasn't going to be too thin--might not have been necessary, but certainly didn't do any harm. the result was fantastic! As someone else suggested in the comments, I served with a garnish of sautéed shrimp (salt, pepper and a little garlic), along with the parsley and bacon. Totally recommend this dish!
Pat R.
July 6, 2018
I made this tonight for our neighborhood Soup Night, and it was fantastic! My local grocery store didn’t have poblanos, and I had some heat wimps coming anyway, so I substituted Anaheim chiles, added 3 diced bell peppers, and omitted the jalapeño, but served cayenne pepper on the side for those who wanted it. It was easy to do, and head and shoulders better than the corn chowder recipe I’ve been using. Definitely an A+!
Marcellene
June 26, 2018
This really is a fantastic recipe. The flavor is awesome. I followed the directions exactly. The only change I would make next time is to add grilled shrimp on top!
Vivienne
October 16, 2016
I have been making this since I first saw it on Food52. So awesome and have shared it with many. I've done a number of variations. Best one is to blister/roast/peel the poblano pepper.....whole new level of flavor. Sometimes I also add a chopped jalepeno. I use a can of diced tomatoes with their juice and frequently use unpeeled red potatoes. If you never cook any other recipe from FOOD52, COOK THIS ONE !!!!
caroline0ne
July 22, 2016
This was a total treat. I had received a farm basket with 6 ears of corn, along with one ivory bell pepper and one jalapeño, and I had eaten corn on the cob three times from the last one. So this was a perfect way to enjoy them. I used 2 C light cream and an 8-oz can light coconut milk. As I live alone, I am delighted to have a two quarts left in my refrigerator! I wonder if it would be as good with frozen corn niblets?? I will certainly look forward to celebrating summer this way annually.
jenny
January 16, 2016
I don't like being the only one who didn't have a positive experience...! What did I do wrong?! There wasn't enough liquid in the veg / spice mix to cook the potatoes for 35 mins, after just 2 or 3 it was dry and sizzling, so I added 2 cups stock.... but the overall result (everything else in the recipe was followed) was too rich and sweet and lacking any depth.... Sorry! Maybe it's a cultural thing, chowder isn't in our tradition in the UK
Chris V.
January 21, 2016
That's a shame that it didn't work out- I love this recipe. Perhaps the heat was still too high when the vegetables were cooking? Every time I've made it the veggies release their juices, so I've never been tempted to add stock, but if the heat isn't turned down the juices would just evaporate. The final product could be described as rich and sweet anyway (thanks, cream), so maybe in the end it's more of a cultural thing after all.
mawhorts
July 27, 2015
This was stellar with some frozen roasted Hatch chiles I brought back from New Mexico (substituted for both the jalapeno and poblano). Like a few others, I used canned tomatoes for convenience. I also couldn't resist adding some peas at the end. Thank you for the delicious (and flexible) recipe.
galsmu
July 22, 2015
Made this last week - big hit! Substituted canned green chilies for the fresh poblano and jalapeño because it's what I had. The fresh corn had a great sweetness. Great idea to up the heat with some cayenne. Love this recipe and will definitely make it again.
chop C.
July 6, 2015
I have been meaning to make this dish for quite some time. Tonight I did. Best corn chowder I have ever had. Love the bit of heat this dish has. Going to a friend's "stay cation" at her home in the country in a few weeks and will make dinner for about 10 folks. This will be part of it. Kudos.
mary A.
June 8, 2015
Unbelievably good. I'm certain it needed no substitutions but to appeal to some dinner guests and to make it more of a main dish I made the following changes: eliminated the tomatoes and jalapeno, added 1/2 orange bell pepper, cayenne pepper, char roasted the poblano, used half and half in lieu of light cream, and finished with a dollop of fresh crab and smokey Spanish paprika.
molly R.
September 7, 2014
My super market was out of poblanos so I charred a green bell pepper instead. To balance things out, I toasted a dried, seeded Guajillo chile and blended that with a cup or two of the soup, then stirred that back into the pot. I also neglected to skin the tomatoes before it was time to chop them up, so I used half a can of crushed tomatoes instead. Tasted wonderful!
courtney C.
August 22, 2014
I made this recently for a family lunch and it was delicious. We were on vacation without a stocked pantry so I skipped the bay leaf and allspice and used red pepper flakes and a regular orange pepper- but stuck to the recipe otherwise. It was fresh and delicious. Our corn was so sweet that there was no need to add sugar. I will absolutely make this again. I also made the whole-wheat pull-apart biscuit recipes on this site (by Lucas Volger) and they were a perfect pair.
Yazoolulu
August 15, 2014
I made this last week and it was fantastic. I used thick-cut bacon and did not use the bacon drippings to fry the onions - it was still quite bacon-y. Since we had folks that couldn't eat spicy peppers, I used several garden red and yellow peppers which added lovely color and taste. Great recipe!
Audrey
July 16, 2014
This was sensational. Thank you so much, Nancy Jo! This is going to become a summer staple!
On to my substitutions/cooking notes for future would-be cooks: I used 2c half-and-half and 1c lowfat milk which worked beautifully-- great body and the dairy taste didn't overwhelm the corn flavor to the chowder. (Though I don't imagine that's ever a problem with the original recipe-- however, I have had some too-dairy-heavy corn chowders in my life!)
Sadly, there were no poblanos at the market when I did my shopping, so I swapped that for a red bell pepper-- which worked great! I stil want to try it with a poblano next time, though. I blistered and peeled my red pepper but don't think it was necessary.
Also soaked my corn cobs in the dairy while everything else was cooking, to extract some extra corn flavor. No idea if this really ultimately contributed to the dish but it seemed like good corn chowder protocol!
On to my substitutions/cooking notes for future would-be cooks: I used 2c half-and-half and 1c lowfat milk which worked beautifully-- great body and the dairy taste didn't overwhelm the corn flavor to the chowder. (Though I don't imagine that's ever a problem with the original recipe-- however, I have had some too-dairy-heavy corn chowders in my life!)
Sadly, there were no poblanos at the market when I did my shopping, so I swapped that for a red bell pepper-- which worked great! I stil want to try it with a poblano next time, though. I blistered and peeled my red pepper but don't think it was necessary.
Also soaked my corn cobs in the dairy while everything else was cooking, to extract some extra corn flavor. No idea if this really ultimately contributed to the dish but it seemed like good corn chowder protocol!
Jackie
July 13, 2014
Made this today for company. I used a 2 qt of half & half since my grocer was out of the light cream.. It was amazing!! I kicked up the spices a little (since I omitted the jalapeño) using poultry seasoning, season all, chicken bouillon & garlic salt.. It went wonderfully with my pastrami & provolone grilled cheese..
THIS ONES A KEEPER!!!
THIS ONES A KEEPER!!!
anne
July 5, 2014
Amanda, is that pan a saucier from Al Clad? It looks like it, but I don't think I've ever seen one that large! It looks like the perfect soup pot.
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