Creamy Corn Chowder

We were treated to a great corn chowder at Bridgefoot House restaurant in Sligo, Ireland (of all places) and we remember asking ourselves why we don’t make this soup more often. Well, more than a year later we’ve circled back and have come up with a recipe that we think hits the mark. We tried this out on some friends at a recent birthday dinner that the consensus is that it’s a fantastic soup that full of great flavours and complexity.

This Creamy Corn Chowder is simple enough to pull off and the Mexican accents of this soup make it a perfect choice for either a warm summer evening, or cold winter night. It’s ready to be loaded up with tasty toppings – lime wedges, Cotija cheese, cilantro, fried tortilla – and can easily be made more hearty with the addition of spicy chicken or seafood.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings: 12

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Calories: 265

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

5 cups frozen corn
8 cups vegetable broth reduced or low sodium
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large white onion diced
10 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 limes juice + zest
3 tsp chili powder
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp Cajun spice
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp Kosher salt divided
1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
1/4 cup butter
1 cup Cotija cheese cubed

Equipment

blender
large Dutch oven
wooden spoon
spatula
microplane
citrus juicer
measuring cups and spoons

Method

Mise en Place

Assemble equipment. Peel and dice onion, peel and mince garlic, zest and juice limes, prepare garnishes (fried tortilla, torn cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges), measure and separate all ingredients.

Cooking + Assembly

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onions and 1/4 tbsp of salt and cook for approximately 4 minutes until tender, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
Add minced garlic and all dry seasoning ingredients (i.e. chili powder, Cajun spice, cumin, coriander, paprika, pepper, and 1/4 tbsp of salt). Stir well to combine. Continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add frozen corn. Mix well to combine and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove half of the corn mixture from the pot and work in 2 batches to blend corn with 4 cups of vegetable broth. Blend until smooth (approximately 1 minute) and return to the pot. Cover and bring to a light boil, then remove the lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add heavy cream, butter, lime juice and zest, and remaining 1/2 tbsp of salt. Mix until fully incorporated and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Top with Cotija cheese and your favourite garnishes and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe makes a lot of soup so feel free to cut it in half if you’re not feeding as many people.
Try adding spicy chicken or seafood to this soup to ramp up the heartiness.

Creamy Corn Chowder