This Healthy Corn Chowder is the perfect way to repurpose leftover corn and enjoy a comforting bowl of creamy goodness. This rich yet wholesome soup is topped with aged cheddar and infused with savory herbs.
This Healthy Corn Chowder is the perfect way to repurpose leftover corn and enjoy a comforting bowl of creamy goodness. This rich yet wholesome soup is topped with aged cheddar and infused with savory herbs.Corn season is finally here! What better way to celebrate than a Healthy Corn Chowder topped with aged cheddar? As the days get cooler and shorter, there’s nothing like a warm, comforting bowl of soup.
In Quebec, everyone knows that the best corn comes from Neuville—a small town between Quebec City and Montreal. If you’re ever passing by, it’s practically a rule to stop and grab a gigantic bag of their famous sweet corn!
Once home, we would eat corn until food coma follows, whether by boiling it or grilling it in its leaves (technique below), but here is another way to use that lovely sweet corn: a creamy yet healthy corn chowder. Whether the corn is already cooked or raw, the technique stays the same: cut off the grains from the corn with a sharp knife to make some smooth soup.
Corn in its Leaves (BBQ Recipe)
My family’s favourite way to make fresh corn is to soak it in water for an hour before cooking it on the BBQ with its leaves on for 10 minutes, turning it every 2 minutes. It’s better to remove some of those thicker leaves from the top of the corn. You’ll see—it makes super moist and slightly smoky corn. Delicious stuff!
Saline Herbs
Salicorne is a seasonal marine herb growing in saline water, which makes any soup super aromatic. While making this dish, I thought of home; these herbs brought me back. My grandma was from a region called Bas-du-Fleuve, where those Salicorne herbs would grow abundantly. She would mix saline herbs in conserves to make fantastic soups all year long.
Those conserves are essential to every Quebecois kitchen. They are usually without salicorne, called “Herbes salées,” but if you use the Salicorne, you get all the greatness my grandma called ” Herbes Salées du bas du Fleuve,” which is the top-notch of those conserves. With this mix, you wouldn’t need any salt to season your soups, plus they give any dish an extra fresh sea flavour. Salicorne can be challenging to find, but they sell it is sold in dry form in some specialty shops. Many types of saline herbs exist around the globe, so pick up the one more familiar to you, whether it’s called glasswort, pickleweed, samphire, etc. If you don’t have those herbs at home, use sea salt.
The Texture
Sometimes, people make a roux to thicken their soups, but here, there is no need for extra flour or cornstarch; you have to blend the cooked potato and corn in the end, and you’ll get a super smooth base. Plus, those reserved corn grains give it a nice bite.
Turmeric for Color
The turmeric powder will also bring this nice bright yellow colour to the chowder, plus it’s a super healthy spice. As for the yellow bell pepper, I added mine at the end for a nice fresh crunch, but if you prefer, you can add it at the beginning of the cooking. Like any other chowder, waiting a few hours before serving to make all those flavours merge is better. Just be careful; once the cream and cheese are in, you should not overheat the soup; warm it up gently until fuming but not boiling. Otherwise, it will curdle.
Other Yummy Soups
- Asian Bone Broth Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Cream Cheese – Little Nomads Recipes
- Shiitake Mushroom Cream
So, let’s make this chowder!
Healthy Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 corns
- 1 big potato
- 1 l vegetable broth
- 200 ml cream
- 2 small onions
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper (*optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp turmeric powder (*optional)
- aged cheddar (to taste)
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp salicorn (*optional)
Instructions
- Start by softening the onions in olive oil or butter for 5 minutes.
- Cut the corn grains with a knife and dice all the vegetables.
- Add the diced potato, garlic, corn grains, *Salicorne marine herbs and laurel leaf to the softened onions.
- Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
- Cook slowly, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes.
- Once cooked, take out the bay leaf.
- Blend with the immersion blender the soup until half smooth (you still want some pieces here and there).
- Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper.
9 Comments
That looks delicious! I love corn chowder in the fall and winter, and being in New Mexico, I usually add some green chile. The cheddar is a nice touch, too. Yum!
Yum 🌶!
I wasn’t used to having corn chowder in Italy, but Loreto made me this lovely “soup” here and I just fell in love! What a beautiful flavor and texture! Would love to find the salicorn that your grandma used to add that perfect salt and herb seasoning.
It’s a tricky one to find…salicorn… but so worth the search! But no worries sea salt works as well!
Looks very tasty….loved your presentation and pictures 🙂
I love corn season so much. This chowder looks divine – especially the addition of aged cheddar. You can’t go wrong. Can’t wait to give this a try.
This is an amazing recipe! I so love corn chowders, but this one with the aged cheddar and the thickening technique is over the top. Very tempting.
super amazing with info about a herb i wasn’t knowing about.
I wish it would be easier to find! It s a sensational aromatic herb!