Summer Corn Chowder
Author Notes:
I started making this chowder in 1990 from a recipe I found in Food & Wine. Not being a fan of bell peppers, I modified it by adding poblano peppers instead and I think it tastes much better. I have also roasted the poblanos on occasion for a richer flavor It's a huge crowd pleaser! - Nancy Jo
Food52 Review: This is an earthy, moody corn chowder that alternates between sweet and hot. We were intrigued by the technique of cooking the vegetables in their own juices before adding milk and cream, which seems to intensify all the flavors. - A&M —The Editors
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 hrs 15 min
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6
medium ears of corn
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6
strips of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
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1
small onion
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1
medium poblano, finely chopped
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1
jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
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1
small celery rib, finely chopped
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3
medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
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2
medium boiling potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed
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1
teaspoon salt
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1/8
teaspoon ground allspice
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Pinch of sugar
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1
small bay leaf
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2
cups light cream, at room temperature
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1
cup milk
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Chopped parsley, for garnish
- Working over a bowl, cut the corn kernels from the cobs at about half their depth. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape the cobs over the bowl to release all the "milk"; set aside.
- In a large saucepan, fry the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Crumble and reserve.
- Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the poblano pepper, jalapeño and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, salt, allspice, sugar, bay leaf and the reserved corn kernels and their "milk" and stir well. Cook over moderate heat until mixture begins to sizzle.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cream and milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and season with black pepper to taste. Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon and parsley.
- Your Best Chowder Contest Winner!
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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!
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+!
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!
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 !!!!
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.
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
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.
i just made this again and i repeat "best corn chowder ever!!!!!!)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
best corn chowder ever!
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.
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!
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!
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!!!
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.
I made with a few modifications since I didn't milk the corn cob when I was freezing my corn. I also used some tomatoes I had canned during the summer. It was delicious, not too much heat or dairy.
Made as is and it rocked my world. My husband and I can't stop eating it!
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