Description
A comforting homemade Corn Chowder featuring fresh sweet corn, Yukon Gold potatoes, and a blend of aromatic spices, cooked to creamy perfection with raw cashews and finished with fresh lemon juice for a bright, delicious flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 6 ears fresh sweet corn, husks and silks removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped
- Chopped chives, for garnish
Liquids and Fats
- 2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- 5 cups water
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Sour cream or vegan sour cream, optional, for serving
Spices and Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinches of cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
Other
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
Instructions
- Prepare Corn Kernels and Cob Liquid: Slice the kernels off the corn cobs carefully. Then use the back of a chef’s knife to scrape off the milky liquid remaining on the cob. Snap the cobs in half and set aside for later use in the soup base.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add chopped garlic and stir to combine.
- Simmer the Soup Base: Pour in 5 cups of water. Add chopped potatoes, Old Bay seasoning, sea salt, dried thyme, smoked paprika, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, freshly ground black pepper, and the halved corn cobs. Bring to a simmer and let cook gently for 20 minutes to infuse flavors and soften potatoes.
- Remove Corn Cobs and Bay Leaf: After 20 minutes, remove the corn cobs and bay leaf carefully from the pot and discard them.
- Add Corn Kernels and Simmer: Add the reserved fresh corn kernels along with the scraped milky corn liquid to the pot. Continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and corn are tender.
- Blend Part of the Soup: Carefully transfer 2 cups of the hot soup to a high-speed blender. Add raw cashews and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
- Combine and Finish: Stir the creamy blended mixture back into the pot of chowder. Add fresh lemon juice and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve hot, garnished with chopped chives and optional dollops of sour cream or vegan sour cream for an extra creamy touch.
Notes
- Using fresh sweet corn gives the chowder a naturally sweet flavor, but frozen corn can be substituted if needed.
- The raw cashews contribute creaminess without dairy; soaking them beforehand can help if your blender isn’t high-powered.
- Old Bay Seasoning offers a complex blend of spices that enhances the chowder’s flavor but can be substituted with celery salt and paprika if not available.
- For a vegan version, use vegan butter and sour cream alternatives.
- The scraping of milky liquid from corn cobs intensifies the corn flavor in the chowder.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
