Shrimp and Corn Chowder

I really, REALLY love shrimp.  I think it is pretty much the perfect meat.  And because it is so perfect, I usually do very little in the way of preparing shrimp.  Most often, I toss the shrimp into the steamer, sprinkle generously with Old Bay seasoning, and let it do its thing for a few minutes.  From there, you are on your way to peel-and-eat delight!

But recently I had a craving for something a little different, a soup that you don’t normally see on restaurant menus.  Oh, sure, places will occasionally have Shrimp and Corn Chowder as a daily special, but it’s not like you can run to Panera and order it whenever the mood strikes.  And the mood had struck, so I got to work.

This was another attempt at something I have eaten many times but never before tried to make, so I spent a bit of time looking at recipes on Pinterest.  In the future, I will try to remember NOT to look on Pinterest when I am already a little hungry.  Dear lord.   I wanted to lick the monitor on more than one occasion.

I didn’t find one recipe that really encompassed all the ingredients I had, so I merged a couple of ideas, then added some mushrooms and cheddar cheese. All the ingredients (thankfully) ended up melding together into a flavorful soup that was rich and satisfying but not too heavy.  We served the final product with a side of cornbread, since we already had a corn theme going on, and devoured the whole pot in record time.  Definitely adding this soup to our menu rotation!

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

 

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Ingredients

• 4 cups water to start (add more water as needed)
• 1 Cup Milk
• ½ stick Butter
• Olive Oil
• 1 lb. shrimp, de veined (we used large shrimp)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 16 ounce bag frozen corn
• 5 large carrots, chopped
• 1 lb. (approx.) potatoes, cubed
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 2 cubes vegetable bouillon
• 2 cloves garlic, or to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 Bay leaf
• Parsley Flakes, to taste

Instructions

1. Splash olive oil in soup pot and heat.
2. Add ½ of the chopped onions. Sauté until onions begin to soften.
3. While onions are sautéing, peel and roughly chop 3 of the carrots.
4. Add those carrots, the remainder of onion, celery, garlic and bouillon into blender. Cover with water and blend well.
5. Slowly pour contents of blender into the pot.
6. Add Bay leaf. Stir through.
7. Bring to a boil.
8. Stir in potatoes, cover, and reduce heat.
9. Simmer approximately 15 minutes or until potatoes start to soften.
10. Add the remaining carrots (cut into medallions). Add more water as needed. Simmer for another few minutes, covered, until carrots begin to soften.
11. Stir in corn, mushrooms, parsley flakes and butter. Simmer until corn is heated through and mushrooms begin to soften.
12. Add shrimp.
13. When shrimp has turned pink, stir in milk and cheese.
14. Add salt and pepper to taste.
15. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
16. Remove from heat and serve.

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