Corn Chowder with Shrimp and Bacon

  

This dish was something I had on pinned on my Pinterest board for a while, and finally decided to make it! I served this chowder with a jalapeno and parmesan corn bread, and it was so delicious!

I had to make some adaptations with what I already had on hand, and also because my dinner guest has an allergy to onions. I swapped out onions with shallots, and still used onion powder because strangely, she is not allergic to either of those.

Jalapeno Parmesan Corn Bread
Printable Recipe

• 1 box cornbread mix
• 1 Jalapeno, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, or more if you like

1. Follow mixing and baking instructions on the box
2. Add in jalapeno and cheese, mix well
3. Place in a muffin pan, or small loaf pan
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Check to see if a knife comes out clean to make sure it is done. (While the cornbread is baking, start working on the chowder)
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan
6. Remove cornbread from pan (slice if needed) and serve.

Corn Chowder Recipe (Adapted by Bev Cooks - 2 servings)
Printable Recipe

• 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (Heck, I cooked 6 slices of bacon)
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 Shallots (you can replace with 1 onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP smoked paprika
• 1 TBSP Old Bay seasoning
• 1 TBSP onion powder
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper (I added about 1.5 teaspoons)
• 3 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (or you can use with 1/2 cup canned tomatoes, it gets pureed later on)
• 1/2 cup half and half or cream
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Avocado Slices

1. You can season your shrimp with a little salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, set aside, but this is optional.
2. Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Drain all but 1Tbs. bacon fat, if you have that much in the pot.
3. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the shrimp to the pot and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove shrimp from pot and set aside.
4. If you need to add a little oil (or bacon fat) to the pot, do so. Add the shallots to the pot until translucent. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté another minute.
5. Add the corn to the pot and toss to combine.
6. Add the stock, cream, and tomato sauce to the pot. Stir to combine. Keep on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Taste it. Need a little salt and pepper? Add a pinch or two.
7. If you have an immersion blender, place it in the pot and pulse it a few times until about half of the soup becomes creamy, still leaving whole kernels as well. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle about a cup and a half of the soup into a blender and pulse until creamy. Pour back into the pot and stir to combine.
8. Serve chowder with the shrimp and reserved bacon crumbles.
9. Garnish with some parmesan cheese, avocado slices, and serve with cornbread

This soup was delicious and hearty. The cornbread gave a nice kick of heat, I will definitely be making this again!