Shrimp and Corn Chowder

I know, I know. It is summer. It is hot. It is not the time for turning on stoves/ovens. But!

This soup is delicious, takes advantage of sweet corn season, and doesn’t require the oven which we all know is the worst summer offender, so. On balance, I think it’s worth a little stove time. (But then again, I’m lucky enough to have A/C, so I will very much understand if you don’t and have made it this far into the post and are already grumbling, “hard pass, see you in October, idiot.”)

I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but our nation’s capitol is in a literal swamp. (Please note I said a literal swamp…) As such, summer is a real son of a bitch, for lack of a more polite way to accurately describe what it feels like to swim through the air for months on end. Not exactly what anyone in their right mind would call “soup season,” aside from maybe gazpacho. But this soup is lighter than its New England brethren (the internet informs me it is a “Maine” style chowder, the hallmarks of which are being brothy, light, and never thickened with flour the way other New England chowders are)– I promise eating it won’t feel like wearing a cable-knit sweater on a 90% humidity D.C. August day. Instead, you’ll feel spirited away to breezy coastal Maine…or something like that.

At this point in our collective year of staying at home and mask-wearing (hi omg PLEASE do these things), we all need a little escapism to take us out of our day-to-day. I say the only thing to do is to make this soup, find a regatta to stream on YouTube, and lean in hard to pretending you’re really on vacation in Maine. If we can’t vacation for real right now, at least our minds and our tastebuds can help create the illusion for a little while!

Shrimp and Corn Chowder (serves 4)

• 1 lb. Shrimp, thawed if frozen, deveined, and shells reserved
• 3 ears Corn, kernels shaved and cobs reserved
• 2 T. Bacon Grease (olive oil or butter are also fine, but why not use bacon grease if you can??)
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb. Potatoes, diced
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 T. Smoked Paprika (I like a lot of smoked paprika; adjust according to your tastes)
• 1 T. Old Bay
• 1 t. Cayenne (here too, adjust according to your heat palate)
• 1/2 c. Heavy Cream (alright I didn’t say it was that light…)
• 1 Kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and chopped into half-moons
• Chives, chopped, as garnish

Bring 8 c. of water to a boil with shrimp shells and corn cobs; cover and reduce to a simmer, then cook for approx. 30 minutes. Strain out shells and cobs. Measure out 4 cups, setting aside the remaining 4.

Heat bacon grease in a large pot over medium heat; add onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic, cooking for another minute, then add potatoes, salt and pepper to taste, smoked paprika, Old Bay, and cayenne. Add 4 c. shrimp stock, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer until potatoes are tender. Turn off heat and stir in heavy cream, reserved corn, and reserved shrimp. Stir until shrimp is pink, then add kielbasa. Taste and adjust seasoning to your palate. (You can also add more shrimp stock if you’d like your soup brothier– otherwise, reserve or freeze for another use.) Serve topped with chopped chives.

Soup is a beautiful thing, you know that? It isn’t (usually) too hard to make, it’s nourishing and soul-warming, and its flavors can transport you to lots of places that aren’t the same home you’ve been stuck in for the last 5 months. Plussssss you can tell yourself it was a light meal and that means you get extra dessert. And in summertime when fruit abounds and pies are never more appropriate, that’s the whole point anyway, isn’t it?