Street Corn Chowder with Pickled Shallots
This bowl of comforting Street Corn Chowder features tender kernels of corn swimming is a chili-rich broth accented with lime juice and sour cream.
Equipment
- Large dutch oven
Ingredients
- 4 shallots divided
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 limes divided
- 5 ears corn divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup dry vermouth
- 8 cups water
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1½ cups sour cream
- ½ cup feta crumbled
- 2 jalapeños sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Halve and slice 3 of the shallots and set them aside. Cut the kernels off of 3 ears of corn and set both the cobs and kernels aside. Thinly slice the shallot and place it in a small bowl. Juice 1 lime and pour it over the shallots. Cover and let pickle on the counter for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Add the shallots and a sprinkle of salt. Reduce the heat and sweat the shallots until just translucent. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. About 30 minutes more.
- Deglaze the pot with the dry vermouth and stir in the water. Add the corn cobs and the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the bay leaves and cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- Pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large container with a spout. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk to combine the chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, and dried oregano.
- Return the Dutch oven to the heat and add the butter. When the butter melts, whisk in the flour to form a roux. Add the spice mix and sauté until fragrant. Slowly whisk in the stock and stir in the corn you removed from the cobs you used to make the stock. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, coat the remaining 2 ears of corn with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Heat a grill or a cast iron griddle over high heat until smoking. Add the corn and char on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool slightly.
- Take the soup off of the heat and whisk in the sour cream. Juice the remaining lime and add it to the soup. Don’t bring the soup back up to a boil at any time after adding the sour cream. **
- At this point, the grilled corn should be cool enough to handle. Cut the corn from the cob and sprinkle it over the soup. Finish the bowls off with crumbled feta, jalapeño slices, pickled shallots, and fresh cilantro.
Notes
** Bringing the soup back up to a boil will cause the cream to curdle, which won't affect the taste of your chowder but it will affect the texture.