The Blond Cook

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Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder

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Crispy bacon, shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder!

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Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder - Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!

Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Grab a big spoon because you’re going to need it with this hearty chowder.  I don’t play around when it comes to shrimp recipes and want them to be perfect.  I used Wright® Brand Bacon from my local Food Lion (in Atlantic Beach, NC) because the quality of bacon can make or break this recipe.  I look for cuts bacon that are thick-sliced and meaty that aren’t going to shrivel up when fried.  Wright Brand Bacon is hand-selected, hand-trimmed and naturally smoked with wood chips.

Wright Brand Bacon

Bacon the Wright Way™!

Topping this chowder with crispy thick-cut bacon takes it to a whole new level!  I purchased it at my local Food Lion and had trouble deciding on what flavor I wanted.  I ended up buying the Natural Hickory Smoked flavor, but any of  the Wright Brand’s Bacon’s flavors will work in this recipe:  Applewood Smoked, Smoked Brown Sugar, Bourbon Barrel Smoked and Oak Barrel Smoked.

Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder - Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!

My mom and I were recently talking about how nice it is to be home making a big pot of homemade soup from scratch… there’s just nothing quite like the aromas of a big pot of chowder, soup or stew simmering in the kitchen.

Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder - Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!

This chowder is perfectly seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic and thyme.  Super-cozy is an understatement! It’s a perfect starter course or meal any time of the year.  Seriously… how can you go wrong with BACON, shrimp and corn?!

Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder - Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!

Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite flavor of bacon at the Wright Brand Voting Poll and tag your favorite bacon recipe on social media with #VoteWrightBrandBacon – I want to see them!  🙂  @wrightbacon

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Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder

★★★★★

5 from 23 reviews

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings
Print Recipe

Description

Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!

Ingredients

  • 5 slices Hickory Smoked Wright Brand Bacon, cut into small pieces
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Pinch crushed red pepper
  • 2–1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup half and half
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish, if desired

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off fat from pot, leaving 1 tablespoon.
  2. Add shrimp to the pot and cook until pink (about 3-4 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and add to the plate with the bacon. Leave juices in pot.
  3. Add onions and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.
  4. Add paprika, crushed red pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
  5. Add corn, chicken stock and half and half. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup until creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend 2 cups of soup in a blender and pulse until creamy (exercise caution while blending hot liquids – blend small amounts at a time and hold down the top of blender pitcher while blending because there is a risk of the top blowing off and hot liquids to blow out!) and return to pot and stir well.
  7. Serve with shrimp and sprinkle with bacon pieces.
  8. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Notes

Adapted from Bev Cooks

 Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder - Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Marcia Cahalan says

    I made this for the first time tonight. I used fat feee half and half and doubled the shrimp. This is one of my all time favorite chowders. LOVE IT!

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hey Kathy, I don’t have nutritional info for this recipe, but you can search online for “nutritional calculator” and there are a lot of sites that you can enter the ingredients for nutritional info. I hope you enjoy it if you make it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Lisa, I’ve never doubled this recipe but I don’t see why it can’t be doubled. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Charmaine! I’ve never used milk in place of half and half in this recipe so I can’t say for sure. If you did it just won’t be as creamy and rich. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Ramella says

    Your comments states smoked paprika, however, the actual recipe states paprika. Does it matter then smoked or not?

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Ramella, it is smoked paprika… I will correct it. You can use either but I prefer smoked paprika in this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

  9. Tami G says

    Hubby can’t eat corn…how would potatoes work as a substitute…or what other veggie would you recommend? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Tami, I’ve never made this recipe with potatoes or any other veggie so I can’t say for sure. I would think diced potatoes would take longer than the corn to cook to be tender. Let me know how it turns out if you try it! 🙂

      Reply

  14. Scott Adkins says

    This looks incredible and the perfect Fall soup! One question before we make this, tho…
    You list smoked paprika in the comments, but list only paprika in the ingredient list.
    That is a fair amount of flavor for a tsp if it is smoked, so just wanted to be sure
    before we tipped it in the dish….. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Scott, thanks so much! Yes it is smoked paprika and thanks so much for alerting me to that! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

  15. Danielle says

    So good! I was going to cook a different shrimp chowder for dinner tonight but upon closer inspection the recipe didn’t seem very flavorful, and I happened upon this recipe in my search for another option. The bacon sold me, first of all. I added potatoes (I had them on hand and figured why not) and I didn’t blend because I was running short on time, but it was delicious!!! I’ll definitely blend bext time, I imagine it’ll make the soup creamier. We served it topped with chopped scallions and garlic knots on the side. My husband loved it, my three year old refused to try it, but she refuses anything that isn’t a PB&J sandwich, so that’s not really surprising. We always have a ton of frozen shrimp on hand, so this is definitely going into the rotation!! Thank you for sharing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      That sounds absolutely delicious with potatoes and chopped scallions, Danielle! Thank you so much, glad you and your husband enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply

  16. Tonya Day says

    I absolutely loved this soup. I used oregano because I had no tyme and 3 small potatoes. I added kielbasa also.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. Diana says

    I first got this recipe from a girlfriend several years ago and make it often. It is delicious. Be sure the paprika is smoked paprika as listed. It makes a huge difference in flavoring the soup.

    Reply

  18. SusanK says

    Did I do something wrong? Mine turned out thin. Was I supposed to add flour somewhere in this recipe. Good flavor just very thin.

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Susan, I’ve never had that feedback on this recipe so I can’t say for sure. The only thing I can think of is you substituted low fat milk for half and half?

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Jennifer, thank you! I would not recommend freezing this since it’s cream-based, the cream tends to separate from the other ingredients when thawed. Hope you enjoy it if you make it! 🙂

      Reply

  21. Randall T Marshall says

    Amy, I’m looking forward to making this . I was wondering if you think seafood stock would work. Thanks Randy Marshall

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Randall, I haven’t used seafood stock so I can’t say with 100% certainty but think it would be fine. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

        • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

          Hi Melinda, I’ve never re-heated this more than 2 days after making so I can’t say with certainty any longer than that. It should be fine the next day, hope you enjoy it! 🙂

          Reply

  22. Susan Larson says

    I made this for our Lenten soup supper last night. Everyone raved about it. A few people even picked up on the SMOKED paprika accent! The only thing I did differently was that I pre-blended the corn with some of the stock in my Ninja blender before putting it in the pot. After boiling, I put it in a crock pot and added the shrimp about an hour before dinner was served. Will definitely treat my fellow congregants with this chowder for Advent!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  23. Dee K says

    I made this recipe last year and it was a huge hit! I am so glad I bookmarked this recipe because I intend on making it again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  24. Elizabeth Kilbarger says

    This chowder is fabulous! I used fresh sweet corn (because it’s summer) and home made shellfish stock. It comes together quickly and tastes like a five star restaurant. I love Wright brand bacon also, I used the maple and would use that flavor again.

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Fresh sweet corn and homemade stock sounds SO delicious in this recipe, Elizabeth! Thanks so much, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply

  26. Dee says

    I’m in the process of making this soup now. I was in London last week and had plain corn chowder with a crispy corn fritter immersed in it. It was delicious. I have been craving it ever since. I searched and found this recipe and decided to make it. My Husband is allergic to shrimp so I made mine with the shrimp but added shredded chicken to the other portion. I will have mine with chicken and shrimp. I’ll make the corn fritters to go with it. I can’t wait.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  27. Mary Barr says

    I will definitely be making this! Some family don’t eat pork in my house so I will cook both wright bacon and turkey bacon.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  29. Mark Stubbs says

    In search of something good to eat on Pinterest for a brisk fall Saturday. I came across this recipe and thought, “What’s not to like!” It was delicious. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  30. Wendy M says

    Wonderful recipe. I added potatoes to make it a little heartier. (I did cook the potatoes a little in the microwave first to ensure they were cooked.)
    My 3 & 5 year old loved it!!! I did not add the pepper flakes due to the kids. My husband just added the pepper flakes to his after.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  31. Asha Tefera says

    Just made this tonight! I doubled the recipe and used jalapeño bacon and seasoned my shrimp with creole seasoning. Very delicious…..and the extra spice kick is just what we needed on this cool evening in Houston!

    Thanks for this recipe

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Kenneth, you can but it won’t have the consistency of a chowder and will be more like a soup with thin broth.

      Reply

  35. Lisa says

    Absolutely delicious & I agree Wright is the best bacon ! Thank you for the recipe, from your Beaufort NC neighbor

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  36. Lisa D says

    Delicious, I didn’t find a need to use an immersion blender, I just followed the recipe as is and it’s perfect. This is a keeper!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  40. Elise says

    This was SO good! I ended up adding a can of Rotel and some snow crab meat because I had it but the base recipe is delicious! Will make again and again. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  41. Sioux says

    I am making this receipe of yours for our Supper Bowl Sunday tonight. GO CHIEF’S. Bet it will be as wonderful as it looks..
    Thank you for sharing, Amy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  42. Andrea says

    This was my first time making this recipe. I followed directions as written. It is EXCELLENT!! It will definitely be added to my family’s regular rotation.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  43. Chad says

    Came out a bit thin for chowder for me so next time I might add potatoes or do a roux before adding the broth. Awesome flavor though! I added a little adobo seasoning which gave it a nice flavor.

    ★★★★

    Reply

  44. Jennifer says

    This was very tasty. I left out the tyme because i didn’t have any. Was loose, more of a soup. I plan on making rice to go with it next time.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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