The Best Corn Chowder
Prep
15m
Cook
40m
Total
55m
Bigly says
Sit down for this one. Corn chowder. The BEST corn chowder. I have eaten more corn than any single human being on Earth — scientists, and I've talked to scientists, very smart people, the smartest, they have actually run the numbers on this, they have charts, they have graphs, one of them brought a SLIDESHOW — and corn chowder, when it's done right, is one of the great soups. One of the GREAT soups. Top five. Top three. Maybe number one, depending on the day, depending on the season, depending on whether I'm in the mood for chowder, which I usually am, because I'm a reasonable person.
Here's what nobody tells you. The secret to corn chowder is the cobs. The cobs. You strip the kernels off the cob, and then you THROW THE COBS IN THE POT. You simmer them. You make corn STOCK out of the corn cobs, and then you build the soup on that stock, and suddenly your corn chowder tastes like an entire cornfield in a bowl. Tremendous. Most chefs are afraid to do this. They tell you to throw the cobs away. Throw them AWAY. Like garbage. Every cob in a landfill is a tragedy. It's a crime against corn.
And you want to know what really separates this corn chowder from every other corn chowder in the country? A little smoked paprika. A whisper. Not a shout. Not enough to make it a smoky soup, not enough to dominate, just enough so people taste it and think, 'Wait. What IS that. Why is this so much better than the other corn chowder I had at that one place,' and the answer is paprika, the answer is cobs, the answer is BIGLY. It's just a fact.
Ingredients
- 6 earsfresh corn on the cob(in winter, 5 cups frozen kernels plus skip the cob stock step)
- 5 cupswater(for the corn cob stock)
- 5 ozthick-cut bacon, diced
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 largeyellow onion, diced
- 1red bell pepper, diced
- 2 ribscelery, diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 3/4 tspsmoked paprika(a whisper, not a shout)
- 1 tbspfresh thyme leaves
- 2bay leaves
- 3 tbspall-purpose flour
- 1 lbYukon gold potatoes, diced 1/2-inch
- 1 cupheavy cream
- 1/2 cupwhole milk
- 1.5 tsp, plus more to tastekosher salt
- 3/4 tspblack pepper
- 3 tbspfresh chives, minced (for serving)
- optionalhot sauce (for serving)
Steps
- 1
Shuck the corn. Stand each cob upright in a wide bowl and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife. Reserve the kernels (about 4-5 cups). Do not discard the cobs.
- 2
Place the stripped cobs in a pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Discard the cobs and reserve 4 cups of the cob stock.
- 3
Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat 6-8 minutes until crisp and the fat has rendered. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
- 4
Add the butter to the pot. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook 6-8 minutes until softened.
- 5
Add the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- 6
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- 7
Slowly whisk in the reserved corn cob stock, scraping the bottom of the pot.
- 8
Add the potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 15-18 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- 9
Add the corn kernels and simmer 5 minutes, until the corn is just tender.
- 10
For a creamier soup, transfer about 1.5 cups of the chowder to a blender (mostly liquid and some corn) and puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot.
- 11
Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cream and milk. Warm through but do not boil. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- 12
Ladle into bowls. Top with reserved bacon and chives. Add a few drops of hot sauce if desired.
One more thing
This is the chowder you make in late August when the corn is at its peak and the air still has a little summer left in it, and it's also the chowder you make in February when you need a reminder that summer exists, and it works in both directions, which is rare, that's a rare quality in a soup, most soups have ONE season but this one has TWO. You set this bowl on the table, the bacon is on top, the chives are doing their job, the steam is coming up, and you take one spoonful and you think — and I mean really think — 'I will never order corn chowder at a restaurant again, why would I, when I can make this.' And you'd be right. You'd be absolutely right. Tell your friends.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Best Corn Chowder.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
★ MORE LIKE THIS ★
KEEP COOKING.
The Best Avgolemono
Silky Greek lemon chicken soup, egg-thickened with orzo, bright and creamy without a drop of dairy. Comforting, restorative, ready in about an hour.
Huge Beef Barley Soup
Hearty beef barley soup with seared chuck, pearl barley, mushrooms, and root vegetables in a deeply savory broth. Cold-weather essential.
The Greatest Borscht
Deep, ruby-red borscht with roasted beets, cabbage, potatoes, and a finish of fresh dill and sour cream. Bright, earthy, and absurdly satisfying.
Tremendous Bouillabaisse
Provencal-style bouillabaisse with a saffron-tomato fish broth, white fish, mussels, and shrimp, served over toasted baguette with garlicky rouille.