Seafood and Corn Chowder

This chowder was made with leftover ingredients.  All seafood and vegetables are pre-cooked.

I’m not a big chowder lover. I usually find the soup way too rich and heavy. In this recipe I lighten it up with clam juice and I used whole milk instead of heavy cream. Normally chowder are thicken with a flour or cornstarch but I decided to omit the thicken agent. If you like your soup thick, mashed the cooked potatoes into the 20 minute simmering process instead adding bite size potato pieces.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients

Seafood: 1 lb combined of either –

Raw shelled shrimp
Raw white fish pieces  (2” pieces) such as cod or haddock
Cooked mussels
Cooked lobster meat (tail and claw)

8 slices of raw bacon, diced
8 cups of either frozen or fresh corn (about 5 or 6 large ears)
4 cups or 32 oz bottled clam juice or seafood stock
3 cups of low sodium chicken stock
4 cups of whole milk
1 large onion, diced
3 medium or 2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 large stalk of celery, sliced thin
½ pound of kielbasa sausage, sliced into ½” pieces
2 large cooked and cooled potatoes, diced into bite size pieces
1/3 cup of dry or cream sherry
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
2 large bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ t pepper flakes (optional)
4 T cold butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large stock pot, sauté bacon until brown and crispy on medium high heat. Set aside bacon. Pour out fat leaving 3 tablespoons in the pot. Add garlic and sauté until lightly brown. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook until lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Continue to stir.  Add clam juice or seafood stock, milk, chicken stock, bay leaf, pepper flakes, kielbasa sausage and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat. Add butter and cooked potatoes and stir (if you are using raw potatoes, simmer longer until potatoes are done.) If using uncooked seafood, add now and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes or cooked through. If using cooked seafood, add and cook until seafood is heated through.  Garnish with chopped chives.