Stuff You Need
- 1 package (or more) thick cut bacon – center cut is ideal
- ~2 tbsp reserved bacon grease or EVOO instead
- 2 cans cream style corn
- 2 cups frozen sweet corn or 2 cans whole kernel corn
- 4-5 medium russet potatoes
- 2-3 medium Vidalia sweet onions
- 1 package celery, ends removed
- 1 Quart half and half (we use store brand)
- ~1 cup whole milk – this is just to add volume.
- You could opt to use some reserved starchy potato water instead.
- Salt + Pepper
This recipe is cut in half from when my Mom made it – we make this once a year so we make a lot, far more than most families are going to eat.
Some Quick “Comments” on Ingredients
This recipe is fairly forgiving and generally all you really need are the corn, potatoes, onions, milk/half and half, and bacon.
Lots of recipes for some reasons skimp on the bacon which I do not understand – bacon is the best part of the chowder here.
Any that’s leftover just use for BLTs.
My Aunt’s version of this recipe uses Salt pork instead – I’m not a fan.
My family has never used seasonings (aside from salt + pepper) but you can freestyle and add stuff like thyme, paprika, bay leaf, garlic, etc. In my opinion though, people in New England don’t care about adding stuff like this.
This style of chowder is also meant to be a thinner consistency.
I’ve lived in NH my entire life and I’ve never ever had a corn chowder that was a thick paste; Clam chowder or potato soup sure but never corn chowder.
So no – we don’t use flour or cornstarch to thicken.
Cook Your Bacon, Reserve Some Grease
We cook the bacon outside on an electric skillet and reserve the bacon grease – then we use the bacon grease to saute the veggies with.
Just cook the package of bacon however you see fit. If you don’t want to use bacon grease, swap out for olive oil instead.
Grab a Skillet to Saute Veggies
Set your burner to medium-low and use ~2 tbsp of bacon grease or olive oil and add to a skillet.
Take 1 package of celery – remove the ends and chop. Then take 2-3 medium vidalia onions and rough chop.
Sautee these veggies with 1-2 pinches each of salt + pepper until the onions are translucent and the celery is soft. Grab one of the celery pieces and taste – some people like these to be crunchy but it’s up to you.
After ~10 minutes, take off the burner and set aside.
Grab a Large Pot and Peel Potatoes
My family has never cooked the potatoes in water and then used that water to thicken. We always boil and strain.
The starch from the potatoes will act as a thickener though – so you could opt to reserve 1-2 cups of starchy water instead of using milk to add volume.
Fill a medium pot half way with water, add 1-2 pinches of table salt and bring to a boil.
Take 4-5 russet potatoes and peel; Then cut into 1″ chunks.
Cover these in a separate bowl in water until the pot is boiling.
Boil the potatoes until you can put a fork through them with minimal effort. You don’t want these to fall apart like for mashed potato though – ~10-ish minutes is long enough.
Once done, strain with a colander.
As I said above, you could opt to save 1-2 cups of starchy potato water to thicken. Your first time I’d actually suggest it just in case.
To a Stock Pot Add Everything
In the same pot you used for the potatoes, add 2 cups frozen sweet corn, 2 cans of cream style corn, re-add the potatoes, chop up your bacon, and add your sauteed veggies.
Then add 1 quart of half and half.
Determine how thick you want the soup – typically we’ll add splashes of 2% or whole milk until it’s at consistency – or add your starchy potato water.
Set your burner to low and simmer for ~10 minutes, but do not boil – we do not want the half and half to break or curdle.
People will add stuff like flour to the mixture to prevent this from breaking but this is the paste I was talking about; In New England nobody is adding flour to their corn chowder – at least that I know.
Then serve enjoy.
We often eat this with whatever bread we have in the pantry – maybe sourdough, maybe kings Hawaiian rolls, whatever is leftover.
I also finish with A LOT of cracked pepper.
My Mom’s Corn Chowder
Ingredients
Stuff You Need
- 1 package thick cut bacon – center cut is ideal or more
- ~2 tbsp reserved bacon grease or EVOO instead
- 2 cans cream style corn
- 2 cups frozen sweet corn or 2 cans whole kernel corn
- 4-5 medium russet potatoes
- 2-3 medium Vidalia sweet onions
- 1 package celery ends removed
- 1 Quart half and half we use store brand
- ~1 cup whole milk – this is just to add volume. You could opt to use some reserved starchy potato water instead.
Instructions
- Cook bacon until crispy, then chop and set aside, reserving 2 tbsp grease.
- Heat bacon grease in skillet over medium-low heat.
- Rough chop celery and onions, then sauté with 1-2 pinches salt and pepper until onions are translucent and celery is soft, about 10 minutes.
- Fill pot halfway with salted water (2 pinches table salt) and bring to boil.
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks, keeping them in water until pot boils.
- Boil potatoes until fork-tender, about 10 minutes, then strain.
- Add frozen corn, cream style corn, potatoes, bacon, and sautéed vegetables to the pot.
- Pour in 1 quart half and half.
- Add milk or reserved potato water in splashes until desired consistency is reached.
- Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes without boiling.
- Serve with bread.
