Treasure Coast Shrimp and Sweet Corn Chowder

You just brought home a one-of-a-kind bowl from the Samaritan Center Soup Bowl. Here is a Vero Vine recipe worth filling it with: a creamy chowder built on sweet corn and Florida shrimp, ready in about an hour.

Those bowls carry a story. Potters from Indian River Clay made and donated more than 1,000 of them this year, and every donation supports the Samaritan Center, the Catholic Charities program that gives homeless families with children in Indian River County a place to live while they work toward a home of their own. A pot of soup made to share feels like the right way to put one to use.

Why Shrimp and Corn, and Why Now

Fall is a good time for this pot. According to UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County, Florida pink shrimp peak from March to May and again from October to December, and white shrimp also peak from October to December. Ask at the seafood counter for wild-caught Florida shrimp and you are cooking with the season.

Florida sweet corn is in season too. The state's Fresh From Florida program lists sweet corn among its in-season items for October, so look for the Fresh From Florida label at the grocery store.

Like to catch your own? The same UF/IFAS guide notes that recreational shrimping needs a saltwater fishing license, with a limit of 5 gallons heads-on per person per day, and that seasons and areas vary by county. Check the current rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before you head out.

A handmade pottery bowl of creamy shrimp and sweet corn chowder topped with chives — Image created by Vero Vine.

Treasure Coast Shrimp and Sweet Corn Chowder

Serves: 6 · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 40 minutes

Sweet corn, shrimp, diced potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and cream on a cutting board — Image created by Vero Vine.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped (or 2 tablespoons olive oil for a lighter pot)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups seafood or chicken stock
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in half-inch cubes
4 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off, cobs saved
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Half teaspoon black pepper
Half teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice of half a lime
Chopped chives for serving

Steps

In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and keep 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot.
Add the butter, onion and celery. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 2 minutes so it loses its raw taste.
Slowly whisk in the stock. Add the potatoes and the bare corn cobs, which give the broth a sweet corn flavor. Simmer 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.
Take out the cobs. Stir in the corn kernels, cream, milk, salt, pepper and paprika. Simmer gently 5 minutes. Do not let it boil hard once the cream is in.
For a thicker chowder, blend about 2 cups of the soup and stir it back into the pot.
Add the shrimp and cook 3 to 4 minutes, just until pink. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and add salt if needed.
Ladle into your Soup Bowl bowls and top with the bacon and chives.

Tips

Use wild-caught Florida shrimp when you can find them. Pink and white shrimp are at their fall peak from October to December.
Out of corn season? Frozen kernels work. Skip the cobs and add an extra half cup of stock.
Chowder thickens as it sits. Loosen leftovers with a splash of milk when you reheat.

Rather have someone else do the cooking? See our list of six places to get soup around Vero Beach and Sebastian this week on Vero Vine.

Make it and send us a photo of your chowder in your Soup Bowl bowl. Tell us in the comments on our Facebook post.

Recipe by Vero Vine. Images in this story are illustrations created by Vero Vine.

Author
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Ava Cook

Community Manager at Vero Vine

Hello!
My name is Ava Cook and I am a Freshman at Florida Southern College in Lakeland FL. I am currently a B.F.A musical theatre major with a minor in Business Administration. I love reading, singing, acting, dancing, and writing. My favorite part about Vero Beach and Indian River County as a whole is how close the community is. Vero Vine is important to me as it allows me to do my part it bringing the community together also, sharing events, small businesses, and other local happenings. If you have any questions or any recommendations for me, my email is always open [email protected].