Fresh Corn Chowder

This post is for my man. When we were first married, one of the recipes that he made sure I got from his mom was for corn chowder. It was a very simple recipe, one that was especially good for a beginning cook like me and a big eater like my husband.

A few nights ago I asked John what he wanted for dinner the following night and he asked for corn chowder. However, he wanted me to make it out of the left-over corn on the cob that we had cooked earlier in the week. He followed up with something about me ‘doing my cooking thing’ and ‘changing the recipe’ and how he was ‘really looking forward to it’.

I felt mildly intimidated for some reason. I don’t know why. Mostly, I guess, because I didn’t want to let John down. The recipe, as it stood, was a good one; what if I messed it up with changes?

Finally I told myself to snap out of it. It was just corn chowder for heaven’s sake.

The verdict? John loved it. I knew he would. Sheesh.

Please Note: This is still such a simple recipe. Don’t take any shortcuts on the ingredients; for best results use fresh vegetables and thyme. As I said previously, I used left-over corn on the cob and it was delicious. Although I had boiled the corn, I can imagine that grilled corn would be absolutely wonderful in this recipe. If you want really outstanding corn on the cob, use these directions. I had found these instructions in an old cookbook years ago and it revolutionized the way corn on the cob tasted to me. No more chewy, gooey, stuck-to-my-teeth corn.

Print Recipe

Fresh Corn Chowder

This easy chowder is a great way to use up extra corn on the cob. No fresh corn? No problem. Simply replace the fresh corn with an equal amount of frozen corn.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 2-cup servings

Author: Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 8 ounces weight fresh mushrooms, rough chopped (I used crimini.)
• 2 pound potatoes, peeled and large diced
• 6 ears cooked corn on the cob, cut off of the cob (about 4 cups)
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, rough chopped
• 2 cups half and half

Instructions

• Heat a large pot (8 quart recommended for ease in handling chowder ingredients) over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until fat has rendered. Remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pot.
• Turn the heat to medium low and add the onions and mushrooms to the bacon. Stir, then cover pot with lid to allow the onions and mushrooms to 'sweat'. Stir, as needed, and cook until onions are translucent.
• Add the potatoes, corn, chicken broth or stock, seasoning salt, and thyme leaves. Cook, covered, over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender.
• Stir in the half and half. Cook over medium low heat until chowder is thoroughly heated and steam is rising. If a thicker chowder is desired, simply smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot and stir them into the chowder.

Notes

The fresh corn can be replaced by an equal amount of frozen corn, about 4 cups.