I think of this corn chowder from my new cookbook as a summer-into-fall soup, perfect for when the nights turn cooler and you’re looking for new and interesting ways to use up the last corn of the season. Blending some of the kernels with the broth gives the soup a sweet corn flavor and lightly creamy texture. It’s filling on its own, but if you’d like to bulk it up, crispy bacon, shredded chicken, grilled shrimp or fresh lump crabmeat would all be delicious additions. And you can never go wrong with chips and guacamole on the side.
What You’ll Need To Make Southwestern Corn Chowder
Step-By-Step Instructions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño to the pot.
Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown.
Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add the broth, 1 cup of the milk, salt, cumin, coriander, and potatoes; bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once halfway through, until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the remaining milk with 1 cup of the corn until smooth.
Add the milk and corn mixture to the soup along with the remaining corn.
Simmer until hot.
Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges.
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- Summer Corn Soup with Fresh Herbs
- Crab Soup
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Southwestern Corn Chowder
By Jennifer Segal
Servings: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, and finely diced (save the seeds and ribs; see note)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 pound yellow, red or purple baby potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels, scraped from 4 to 5 raw cobs (see note)
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 3 scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Add the broth, 1 cup of the milk, salt, cumin, coriander, and potatoes; bring to a boil. The soup will seem thick; that’s okay. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once halfway through so the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes (if your potatoes are not tender at this point, just continue simmering until they are).
- Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the remaining 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of the corn until smooth.
- Add the milk and corn mixture to the soup along with the remaining 2 cups of corn; simmer until hot. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges.
Note: I like this soup a little spicy, so I mince about half of the jalapeño’s seeds and ribs and toss them in with the onions and peppers. If you’d like more control over the heat, you can add cayenne pepper at the end, to taste, or offer hot sauce at the table.
Note: To scrape the corn from the cobs, place the corn on a clean dish towel set over a cutting board, then use a serrated knife to cut the kernels of the cobs. (The dish towel prevents the kernels from bouncing all over the place.) Alternatively, you can invert a small bowl inside a larger bowl. Hold the cob upright on top of the inverted small bowl, with the flatter end of the cob down, and use a sharp knife to slice downward as close to the cob as possible.
Make-ahead Instructions: Before adding the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro, the soup can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, and proceed with the recipe.
Recipe by Jennifer Segal
This article was first published on OnceUponaChef.com.
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