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Shrimp Chowder – Bacon Corn Shrimp Bisque with Fresh Thyme

I thought it would be fun to cook up a big batch of shrimp chowder with bacon, corn and fresh thyme to celebrate a national foodie day.

It seems that there is a National day for pretty much any food! October 19 is National Seafood Bisque Day.

  It is the perfect choice for a one pot meals soup recipe for the cool autumn nights!

I am not normally much of a soup or chowder lover but I really enjoy it when the cool weather rolls around

This hot shrimp chowder is hearty and thick with the goodness of fresh thyme and smoked paprika mixed with pan fried bacon, heavy cream and corn kernels.

Any seafood tastes great in a chowder. See my recipe for light seafood chowder for another tasty idea.

This tasty shrimp chowder recipe is flavored with corn, bacon and fresh thyme. #shrimpchowder #shrimpbisque

Making this bacon and fresh thyme shrimp chowder.

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This soup has a fairly long list of ingredients but is surprisingly easy to make.  It comes together in one pot, bit by bit, adding layers of flavor with each new ingredient addition.

I cooked the whole recipe in a Dutch oven to save on clean up later.  Don’t you love one pot meals?

Ingredients for my shrimp chowder

The bacon is cooked first. I cut it into small pieces and cooked it till crispy and then took it out to drain on paper towels.

cooking bacon in a Dutch oven

Next, I left about a tablespoon of the bacon fat and added the shrimp.  Be sure to de-vein the shrimp to give the best presentation.

It just took a few minutes of cooking and then I set the shrimp aside with the bacon pieces.

Cooking shrimp in bacon fat

In go the the onions and garlic. Can you see the way the flavors build on each other? Each new layer builds on the one before to give amazing flavor to this dish.

Cooking onions and garlic

Spices, and fresh thyme adds more taste to the dish.  My kitchen has a wonderful aroma right about now!

Just add the spices to the onions and garlic and give everything a good stir to combine the flavors.Adding seasonings to the chowder

Skim milk, heavy cream and corn kernels add the last few flavors and then half of the soup mixture is blended with an immersion blender[ to a smooth consistency.

This gives the chowder the perfect blend of a smooth soup with some texture from the the other half of the corn and onions mixture.

(I just removed half of the soup, blended the other half and combined the two back in the pan.)Blend the chowder with an immersion blender

The final touches are to add back the bacon and shrimp to the creamy soup and then thicken it with a bit of arrowroot or cornstarch mixed with some chicken stock. 

delicious shrimp chowder

Serve hot, garnished with some fresh thyme and a few pieces of reserved bacon.

Shrimp chowder recipe

Tasting the creamy shrimp chowder.

It’s time to grab a spoon and dig into this amazing shrimp chowder. And make the spoon a big one!

Those lovely chunks of shrimp will want the perfect resting spot before it hits your mouth.

Taking a taste of this shrimp and corn chowder

This shrimp chowder is perfectly seasoned with just a hint of spice that comes from the red pepper flakes. Add some crusty homemade Italian bread to complete the meal.

Fall comfort food doesn’t get any better than this!  It makes the perfect starter to a main meal.

This chowder also makes a wonderful main meal soup. 

This shrimp chowder recipe is flavored with corn, bacon and fresh thyme. #shrimpchowder #shrimpbisque

Your family will just love the taste of this thick and creamy shrimp chowder.  It has a super rich flavor and comes together quickly.

It will become a family favorite, for sure.My favorite fall comfort food - shrimp chowder with fresh thyme, bacon and corn. #shrimpchowder #shrimpbisque

This hearty shrimp chowder is one of my favorite comfort food fall recipes. It has been slimmed down by using half skim milk instead of all cream. Thickening it with stock and arrowroot powder means that I can totally omit any cheese.

It works out to 445 calories each and tastes out of this world.

Yield: 4

Shrimp Chowder - Bacon and Shrimp Bisque

This tasty shrimp chowder recipe is flavored with corn, bacon and fresh thyme. #shrimpchowder #shrimpbisque

This delicious shrimp chowder is flavored with both corn and bacon and has a generous amount of fresh thyme for hearty goodness. It is perfect for a cold autumn's night.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 slices of Bacon, cut into chunks
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 ½ tsp fresh thyme
  • Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2-1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup of skim milk
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • Sea Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp of arrowroot or cornflour, mixed with 1/4 cup of chicken stock
  • Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon in the dutch oven and place on paper towels to drain.
  2. Leave a tbsp of the bacon fat in the Dutch oven and cook the shrimp until pink, about 3-4 minutes. Remove and add to the paper towels with the bacon.
  3. Add onions and garlic to the Dutch oven and saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion are tender and translucent.
  4. Stir in the paprika, crushed red pepper, fresh thyme, sea salt and cracked black pepper.
  5. Add the corn, chicken stock, skim milk and heavy cream. Stir to combine well. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Take out about half of the mixture and use an immersion blender to blend the other half until if is creamy. Return the rest of the soup mixture back to the Dutch oven and add the shrimp and bacon, reserving some bacon for garnish.
  7. Mix 2 tbsp of arrowroot or cornflour with 1/4 cup of chicken stock and add to the chowder. Heat well until the soup is lovely and thick.
  8. Top with the reserved bacon and fresh thyme and serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 serving

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 445Total Fat: 17.6gSaturated Fat: 8.6gUnsaturated Fat: 1.3gCholesterol: 181.6mgSodium: 951.7mgCarbohydrates: 40.2gFiber: 4.0gSugar: 10.1gProtein: 30.8g

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ALYSON

Wednesday 10th of January 2018

Very good. Used whole quart of stock and 1/2 pint of cream and still does not make a large amount.

Carol

Wednesday 10th of January 2018

Glad you enjoyed it Alyson. It's one of our favorites! Carol

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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