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Corn Chowder

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Corn Chowder excerpted from Good Catch by Valentine Thomas.

If there’s corn chowder on the menu, I’m ordering it. Especially when I am in Florida or in Montauk and it’s after a cold-water dive, this dish is the ultimate comfort food. It is also a fantastic way to use your leftover fish! You made mussels the night before? Throw ’em in! This version is modeled after what I believe to be the ultimate chowder: rich, creamy, kind of fatty, and a tad spicy. If you don’t use all the clam juice, make yourself a Bloody Caesar (aka the best cocktail ever: tomato juice, clam juice, spices, and vodka).

Corn Chowder recipe excerpted from Good Catch by Valentine Thomas. Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee

Corn Chowder

Valentine Thomas
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dinner, Lunch
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

For corn chowder

  • 1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, chopped (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3/4 pound red baby potatoes, quartered
  • 2 cups Fish Stock or water
  • 1 cup bottled clam juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Bahama Mama spice mix (see below)
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound flaky white fish, such as cod or mahi mahi, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves only, for garnish

For Bahama Mama spice mix

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot set over medium-high heat, add the pancetta (if using) and the butter and cook until the pancetta is almost crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and potatoes. Cook until the onions are almost translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the fish stock, clam juice, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and spice mix. Let the soup come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Add the corn, milk, cream, and cubed fish and mix well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer until it reaches a thick, luxurious consistency, about 15 minutes.
  • Garnish with the parsley before serving.

Notes

Good Catch by Valentine Thomas (© 2023). Photography by Andrew Thomas Lee. Published by Union Square & Co. Reprinted with permission from Good Catch by © Valentine Thomas. Published by Union Square & Co. Photography by Andrew Thomas Lee.
Keyword Bacon, Clam juice, Cod, Corn, Corn Chowder, Fish, Good Catch, Mahi mahi, Seafood, Valentine Thomas

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