How to Make Shrimp Chowder
- cook TIME 30 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 40 mins
Ingredients (17)
- 9 oz shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed from 18 oz medium whole shrimp
- 22 oz potatoes peeled, large diced
- 2 oz corn
- 2 oz onion diced
- 1 oz celery diced
- 2 oz french baguette sliced
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp basil chopped
- 4 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preparation for the Vegetables
Peel the potatoes: With your dominant hand, move a peeler or a paring knife in downward strokes. Rotate the potato as you go until the skin is entirely removed.
Dice the potatoes: Use a sharp knife to slice the potato in half lengthwise. Repeat the action with the sliced halves to make 1-inch sticks then line them up, rotate them into horizontal positions, and vertically cut through them to create large cubes. Rinse the cubes once you’re done.
Dice the onion: Cut off the top and bottom ends of the onion then slice it in half lengthwise. Peel the skin off then lay one of the halves horizontally flat on the chopping board. Slice it vertically into small sections, then turn them sideways to make a stack and cut into small cubes by slicing the knife in downward motions.
Dice the celery: Prepare the celery by separating the stalks and removing the white parts at the end. Slice them in half lengthwise, line a few up then rotate them horizontally and cut crosswise to make small cubes. While cutting, pinch your other hand’s fingers on the stalks to hold them in place and keep them stable.
Chop the herbs: Remove the stems and collect the parsley leaves. Gather them into a small mound and use your non-dominant hand to hold them together. Grab a sharp knife and gently slice through in downward motions.
If the leaves are still too big, swiftly run the knife through the cut pile in circular motions a few more times to make fine cuts. This time, lay your non-dominant hand flat on the knife’s spine, near the tip, to keep it steady.
Mince the garlic: Separate the cloves, trim off the ends, then crush them with the middle part of a chef’s knife’s flat side.
2. Preparation for the Shrimp
Rinse the shrimp: In a colander, wash the shrimp thoroughly with cold water. Check for signs of spoilage like discoloration, slime, or bad odor to weed out any bad ones.
Peel the shrimp: Hold the body and use your other hand to pinch the head with your thumb and index finger. Gently twist and pull to remove the head. Shrimp heads have bad smells so make sure you place them in a sealed bag to discard quickly.
Devein the shrimp: With a paring knife, make a shallow slit along the shrimp’s back. Use the knife’s tip to lift the black line then pull it all the way out. When you’re done, rinse the shrimp one more time then pat them dry with paper towels.
Cook:
Chop the shrimp: On a chopping board, hold together 2 or 3 shrimp with your non-dominant hand and coarsely chop them into bite-sized pieces with a chef’s knife.
Sauté the veggies: In a saucepan, sauté 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 oz onion, 1 oz celery, 1 tbsp garlic, and 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
Sauté the shrimp: On the same saucepan, continue adding 9 oz shrimp, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper, and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Stir the saucepan: Gently stir the saucepan with a spatula so the ingredients blend nicely into one another. The shrimp cooks relatively fast so they should turn bright orange after a short while.
Add the potatoes and corn: Continue adding 22 oz potatoes and 2 oz corn to the saucepan. Repeat the same stirring motions for another 3 minutes.
Add the liquid: Add 1 cup unsalted chicken broth, 4 1/2 tbsp heavy cream, and 1 cup milk to the saucepan. Bring it to a boil then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes.
Air Fry the baguette slices: In the meantime, cut the baguette into slices then place them in the air fryer to cook at 325°F for 4 minutes.
Stir the mixture: Gently stir in circular motions with a whisk to blend the potatoes into the soup. Do this for around 3 minutes or until there’s a thick consistency.
Garnish the soup: Garnish the soup with 2 tbsp parsley and 2 tbsp basil.
Serve the soup: Take the saucepan off the heat and serve hot in a soup bowl.
