While on my lunch break yesterday, I searched for new Pinterest food boards to make me even hungrier. I came across a pretty looking chowder that I decided to try last night. First of all, who knew reading a recipe could be so freaking hilarious. Whoever Bev is, she just got herself a new subscriber. Not to mention that all of her dishes look AMAZING.
*side note* I usually never follow recipes word for word. Here’s what I changed:
- I incorporated bacon into the chowder, not just as a topping.
- Culturally, Haitians are big on seasoning so I used a bunch of my favorites to jazz it up.
- Substituted stock for broth because I couldn’t find stock. What’s the difference anyway?!
- I didn’t have paprika. That’s why hers is more orange than mine.
Ingredients:
* 4 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
* 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/2 medium white onion, diced
* Seasonings: adobo, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, old bay, garlic powder, lawry’s, maggi, poultry seasoning, black pepper & salt)
* 2, 8 3/4 oz cans of Del Monte Whole Kernel corn (no salt added)
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 pint of heavy cream
* a small square of butter to saute
*olive oil
Prep work:
You should probably already purchase your shrimp peeled and deveined to make life easier. Soak the shrimp in lemon juice. Drain, then season with old bay.
The work:
Over medium heat, add your torn up pieces of bacon to the flying pan. Fry until the edges are golden. Taste test! Drain and set it aside. Save some of that fatty oil for later.
Okay, later.
Pump up the heat to medium-high and add your shrimp. Bev says to “sear” it. I’m not familiar with that term so I’ll say cook it until the edges turn golden brown. But take them out before the shrimp shrivels up! So I’ll say…a minute on each side. Remove from pan and set it along side your bacon.
Here’s where I got a little heavy-handed. I added BUTTUH. Warning: if you are diabetic, skip this please. You don’t really need it. All of the seasoning and the cream add so much flavor. And remember, the flavor takes a while to settle in. Don’t over do it. Also, skip the salt.
Saute your onions with all of the seasonings mentioned above for 5 minutes. Again, you really don’t need to add salt.
Add your corn to the fiesta and saute for another 3 minutes.
Now. Game changer. Add your broth and cream into a pot. Stir while it’s heating up. Add your onion & corn mixture to the pot. Let that simmer for another 30 minutes.
While that is happening, remove two cups from the pot (make sure to remove the bacon pieces!) and place it in the blender. Blend until smooth and return to the pot.
At this point, I realized that the consistency wasn’t thick enough for me. My friend suggested that I add some mash potato mix to thicken it up. It works! Just a few dashes though!
Lastly, add your shrimp and reserved bacon to top it off. Simmer for another 15 minutes or so and then serve.
