Corn, Tomato and Basil Chowder

Corn, Tomato and Basil Chowder
Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
5(783)
Comments
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This summer corn chowder is flavored with lime juice and basil and is nearly as light and fresh as a salad — until you add the optional dollop of crème fraîche.

Featured in: Stretching the Corn Season

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 6ears corn, shucked
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1large onion, chopped
  • 1shallot, finely chopped
  • 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4cups chicken broth
  • teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1pound waxy potatoes (red or Yukon Gold are good), cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼cup chopped fresh basil
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Crème fraîche or sour cream, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

279 calories; 8 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 727 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

    Slice corn kernels off cob and place in a bowl. Run back of a knife along each cob to remove additional corn pulp. Add pulp to bowl; reserve cobs.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium soup pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in onion, shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add broth, reserved cobs, 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt to pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Remove cobs and discard.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in corn kernels and pulp, tomatoes, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes more. Stir in the basil and lime juice. Turn off heat and let soup cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream, if using.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
783 user ratings
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Comments

This was a yummy recipe for a cool summer evening. I think some jalapeño diced in would give it a nice kick. Also, I have hearty eaters, so maybe crab, shrimp, or chicken to up the protein.

This is one of the most delicious soups I've ever had. I added a bit of jalapeño, and also cooked the tomatoes for just a very short time so they wouldn't fall apart. Served it alongside tomato sandwiches on excellent sourdough. Just fabulous.

Made this today per the recipe, but I did use fresh garden tomatoes versus cherry tomatoes. I was going to add bacon, but when I finished making per directions, it was so delicious that the bacon was not needed and I think it would have detracted from the freshness of the corn, tomato and lime. The lime and basil really finished the soup off wonderfully. I am going to husk the remainder of my fresh corn and freeze it, boil the cobs in chicken broth then fix for Saturday supper later in the fall!

This is such a flavorful, summery soup! Everyone freaked out about how good it was.

This was excellent. I found that there was not really enough broth to make this a soup. I also agree with the comment to add the tomatoes near the end. They tasted fine but were less visually appealing. I added a dollop of Greek yogurt at the end -- perfect!

Thought this was delicious and a great way to use up extra corn and tomatoes. Four ears of corn was plenty. Added rotisserie chicken at end to make it heartier. The lime juice is everything, as others have noted.

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