Our 12 Best Corn Chowder Recipes
This collection of our favorite corn chowder recipes combines the vegetable's sweet, juicy kernels with a variety of ingredients both classic and eclectic. We have a raw version that highlights pure, peak-season corn flavor, plenty of options that include seafood, and an Ecuadorian chowder that incorporates grated plantain for a light yet creamy body. Because fresh, sweet summer corn always trumps canned or commercially frozen stuff, we recommend freezing corn at the end of the season so you have it available in the colder months.
Corn and Cod Chowder
With its all-American ingredients, this New England-style chowder is a comfort food classic. The soup needs only bread, or traditional oyster crackers, as an accompaniment. If you prefer, sub out the cod for another firm, mild fish such as pollock, orange roughy, or ocean perch.
White Corn and Clam Chowder
The corn and the clam perfectly complement each other in this delicious chowder recipe. Each bowl is garnished with a sprinkling of diced yellow bell pepper and shredded basil for an extra pop of flavor and color.
Corn Chowder with Bacon and Sea Scallops
Look for sugar-cured bacon, which is smoky and sweet but mild enough not to overpower the other flavors here. The scallops are cooked in the reserved bacon fat for an extra layer of deliciousness; Tabasco gives the soup just a tinge of heat. Pair this dish with a medium-bodied Chardonnay.
Creamy Shrimp, Corn, and Tomato Chowder
Television chef Carla Hall has a surprise ingredient in this recipe: a can of creamed corn. She uses it to add sweet corn flavor to her lightened take on chowder and to thicken the broth in place of too much cream or flour. The optional tablespoon of anise-flavored liqueur provides even more depth of flavor.
Corn Chowder
Our simple soup really highlights the taste of sweet summer corn, but since the vegetable is available virtually all the time, you can make the chowder year-round. You can even use frozen corn, though fresh is best.
Corn, Crab, and Shrimp Chowder
Chef Andrew Zimmern adds depth to his rich seafood chowder by making an easy stock with corn cobs and shrimp shells. Plenty of cream and butter make this chowder irresistibly decadent.
Peruvian Shrimp and Corn Chowder
In Peru, small streams wend their way from the mountains to the coast, and the delicious shrimp that fill them are cooked with local corn, squash, and potatoes to make this South American chowder called cupe. Don't peel the shrimp before cooking them in the first step: The shells will flavor the cooking oil, which in turn will flavor the soup.
Smoky Ham and Corn Chowder
This simple but luxurious ham and corn chowder is given a boost of flavor by simmering the scraps — ham rind and corn cobs — in water to make a quick, tasty stock.
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best. Chef and author Maricel Presilla's fantastic coastal Ecuadoran shrimp chowder is made with grated plantain, which gives the soup a wonderfully light and creamy body. Serve it with Presilla's Tangy Corn Salsa for extra crunch and dimension of flavor.
Raw Sweet Corn and Cashew Chowder
Whole food chef and wellness expert Ani Phyo likes to add a handful of spinach or soft lettuce to this unique plant-based chowder. "Then it becomes part-soup, part-salad," she says. Be sure to use fresh corn here.
Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Mashed Potatoes
© Lucy Schaeffer
Simmering dill seeds with corn and shrimp makes a delectable soup. Instead of the traditional cubes of potato throughout the chowder, we've put a mound of creamy mashed potatoes in the center of the bowl. This comforting dish is a meal in itself.
Warm Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon and Cider Vinegar
In this riff on corn chowder, sweet corn is tossed with potatoes, bacon, and cider vinegar. Because the corn for this salad is barely cooked, it’s best to use the juiciest kernels available.
