Basic Corn Chowder

By Mark Bittman

Updated July 2, 2024

Basic Corn Chowder
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(3,789)
Comments
Read comments

This is chowder at its simplest: corn, onion, potatoes and milk, with a couple of chopped tomatoes and a handful of parsley to add flavor and color. Starting with bacon and finishing with cream makes a richer version of the dish. But you could easily expand its borders by adding curry powder and ginger, sour cream and cilantro. Or when the potato is replaced by rice and the cream with coconut milk, Southeast Asian seasonings can be added to make a chowder that has little in common with the original, save for its intense corn flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4 to 6ears of corn
  • 1tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
  • 1medium onion, chopped
  • 2medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)
  • 1cup whole or low-fat milk
  • ½cup chopped parsley (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

320 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 988 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.

  2. Step 2

    Put butter or oil in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

  3. Step 3

    After corncobs have cooked at least 10 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture; bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.

Tip
  • Curried corn chowder: In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,789 user ratings
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Comments

Elaine

saute some chopped celery along with the onion. Add a few sprigs of parsley and thyme to simmer in the broth. Add some chopped parsley, thyme, and celery leaves at the end.

If you use 6 ears of corn, you'll have to increase the amount of liquid.

Great recipe.

Gordeaux

Surprisingly good. Made Corn Chowder with Lump Crabmeat. Used 6 ears of corn because it's corn chowder. Used butter because corn. Didn't peel the spuds. Didn't seed the tomatoes. Used the parsley. Checking the salt and pepper before serving is key. Added a can of lump crabmeat and it was extraordinary.

ACB

Skip the dairy like this:
After you remove the corn cobs from the water, let them cool a bit and then, before you discard them, use the back side of a knife to scrape off the germ and the milky juice. Add this yummy corn essence to the soup along with with the kernels. Add chopped parsley at the end.

Rb

I am always amazed that when I follow a recipe rated 5 stars exactly it is so mediocre. This was a basic starting point, but lacked a depth of flavor and was very thin when cooked exactly to recipe specs (yes, I always follow a recipe first time). So I punched up the taste with the ginger curry variation and thickened it up a bit with a cornstarch slurry and touch of immersion puree. Better and definitely good for lunch but I won't be serving this to company and not close to restaurant quality.

Gina G.

This is pretty good. It is a little bland at first. I also did thinks a little backward. I first cooked the onion, some celery and garlic. Then added small potatoes then the corn cobs and stock. I simmered for 15 mins and since I didn’t have tarragon I used a dash of fennel and dried parsley. I added about a half cup of Greek yogurt and added fresh oregano since I had it on hand and about a 1/4 tsp each old bay and paprika. This is a very customizable chowder but isn’t really “recipe” ready as is.

Rachel

Extremely bland as written. You must doctor it up. Follow some of the suggestions in previous comments.

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