FARGO — The first time I had New England Corn Chowder was back in my cruise director days. My husband, Tony, and I spent most of the 1990s working aboard luxury cruise ships, and we spent several seasons traveling throughout New England in the fall.
We would greet our guests with warm cups of this soup upon their arrival back to the ship after a long day of hiking through the beautiful New England fall foliage, and you would have thought we were serving them bowls of liquid gold.
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Full of sweet corn kernels, potatoes and smoky bacon, this corn chowder is lush (but not heavy), brightly flavored and deliciously comforting.
This soup is rustic in nature and simple to make, especially if you have all the ingredients prepped and measured and any equipment you need out and ready to use before you begin. For this recipe, you will need a large pot, a small pot and a small pan, as well as a whisk and a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the soup.
Once everything is laid out, cook the bacon in the large pot until it is brown and crispy. Remove about half of the bacon bits to use later to garnish the soup, and then add a cup of finely chopped onions and cook until they turn translucent. Add a stalk of finely chopped celery and continue cooking for five minutes, until the celery becomes tender.
Next, add chicken stock, water, bay leaf and Old Bay Seasoning, and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes while you prepare the roux. A roux is an equal blend of cooked flour and butter that is used to add flavor and thicken soups. Cooking the flour removes its raw taste, and I recommend using unsalted butter for the roux, as the last time I made this soup I accidentally used salted butter, and it was almost too salty.
Add the roux to the soup along with a 12-ounce bag of frozen sweet corn and a variety of flavor-building ingredients. As the soup simmers, parboil the diced potatoes in cold water so that they cook more evenly with the other ingredients once they are added to the soup. Once ready, add the potatoes to the soup and let it simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes until they are nice and tender.
I add a cup of heavy cream at the end to produce the lush and creamy consistency of a good chowder, but you could skip this step and it will still taste great.
I made this New England Corn Chowder last weekend for Tony after he had spent the day outside putting our Christmas lights up, and his reaction was the same as our passengers’ all those years ago — pure delight. Enjoy.
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New England Corn Chowder
Makes about 2 quarts
Ingredients:
- 6 strips bacon, chopped into half-inch pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 (12-ounce) bag of frozen sweet corn
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper or finely ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 5 drops Tabasco
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 2 cups raw Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced into half-inch cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt to taste
Directions:
In a saucepot over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it is brown and crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove half of the bacon from the pan and place on a small plate lined with a paper towel; set aside to use later as a garnish.
Add the onion to the pot with the bacon and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until it is translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the celery and continue to cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken stock, water, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, prepare the roux. In a small pan over medium-low heat, whisk together the flour and melted butter until well combined. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the roux to the simmering soup and whisk to combine. Add the frozen corn kernels, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, lemon juice, Tabasco and vinegar, and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
As the soup simmers, place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add them to the soup. Simmer over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the heavy cream and continue cooking for 2 minutes until the soup is hot. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot and garnish with the remaining bacon bits.
To store: Transfer the soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If freezing the soup, skip the potatoes and heavy cream and add them when reheating the soup.
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