Shrimp Potato & Corn Chowder

This sweet and smokey shrimp potato & corn chowder hits all the right notes! Loaded with tons of sweet corn, silky potatoes, smokey bacon, and of course sweet and tender shrimp!

After I made those Coconut Fried Shrimp the other day I had mentioned I was going to make shrimp stock so I could make soup, and yum! It was so worth it to peel all those shrimp. 🙂

Now you don’t have to use shrimp stock if you want to make this. Chicken stock would work just fine, but if you want to go the extra step to make shrimp stock, just throw a pounds worth of shrimp shells with garlic, onions, celery, carrots, whole peppercorns and 6 cups of water into a pot and let simmer away.

This chowder is super similar to the Smokey Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder that I love, but instead of ham I used shrimp instead. This is actually my second batch. I made more to share with my neighbor. 🙂

Shrimp Potato & Corn Chowder

1 lb. medium shimp peeled and deveined
1 box chicken stock
4 slices thick cut bacon (chopped)
2 teaspoons butter
3 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 bag frozen diced potatoes
1 bag frozen corn
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons paprika
splash of half n half
splash of sherry (**optional)
salt and pepper to taste

In a cast iron soup pot, add in butter on medium high heat. Chop bacon and add into the pot to render the fat. Once rendered, scoop the bacon out and set aside.
Add in you shrimp to the bacon fat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until pink. Remove from pot and set aside.
Add in a splash of sherry to the pan to scrap up bits from the bottom, or just a splash of chicken stock. Then add in your onions, celery, and garlic to soften (3-4 minutes) season with salt and pepper
Lower your heat to medium low. Add in your bags of frozen potatoes and corn, along with the rest of the chicken stock. Add in your fresh thyme and bay leaves and cover to cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
At the very end, add back in your shrimp to finish cooking and add in a splash of half and half and the paprika. The starch from the potatoes should have thickened the soup enough where you don’t need to add any flour. Top with crispy bacon pieces and enjoy! 🙂