Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder - made April 23, 2017 from The Blond Cook

The pictures for this dish aren’t much to write home about. I honestly just could not take a good picture of them. The chowder doesn’t look smooth and creamy because it wasn’t. I don’t know whether it was because I didn’t have an immersion blender or because I didn’t blend the 2 cups of soup well enough in my blender as the backup option but regardless, the flavor was pretty good and I didn’t mind that it wasn’t as smooth and creamy.

I liked this chowder. Cooking it was easy and just my speed on the cooking spectrum. I normally don’t like cooking with bacon since the grease spatter and cleanup are often not worth it to me but bacon is a good addition to this chowder. It provides some crunch and flavor to go with the shrimp and corn.

The corn is what makes the chowder look a little lumpy but don’t skip it as it’s also a good component to the dish, adding both flavor and texture. This is actually a deceptively filling chowder, mostly because of the cream (I won’t kid you on the calories – it’s got cream). The shrimp is the star of the dish but the soup was pretty good too. It’s more of a winter or cold-weather meal but I’m not picky. It was quick and easy to make and tasted good so that was all I needed.

5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of crushed red pepper
2 1/2 cups corn kernels
3 cups chicken stock (I used Penzey's chicken soup base)
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off fat from pot, leaving 1 tablespoon.
2. Add shrimp to the pot and cook until pink, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and add to the plate with the bacon. Leave juices in the pot.
3. Add onions and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add paprika, crushed red pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
5. Add corn, chicken stock and half and half. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup until creamy. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend 2 cups of soup in a blender and pulse until creamy. Return to the pot and stir well.
7. Add shrimp and sprinkle each serving with bacon pieces. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.