September 4, 2020

Shrimp Chowder with Bacon

Name: Shrimp Chowder with Bacon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 48 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes (diced); 2 1/2 cups chicken broth; 15 oz. sweet corn (drained); 1 pound large shrimp (peeled, deveined, and chopped); 1 1/2 cups whole milk; 1 1/2 cups half and half cream; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 cup sweet yellow onion (chopped); 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon dried parsley; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 3 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled); 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded )

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Shrimp Chowder with Bacon is a recipe my husband and I both enjoy. I love the creamy sweetness, the chunky pieces of shrimp, all topped with cheddar cheese, and crisp chewy bacon. Serve this with a slice of hard, crusty bread. So yummy!

(Post modified on 10/16/23.)

My husband is always skeptical any time I try something out of the ordinary. I think he’d be happy to eat beef and potatoes every day of his life. But sometimes, life just calls for something else, and that’s where this Shrimp Chowder comes in!

We both love shrimp, so this chowder works well for us. You may use cooked or uncooked–whichever you have on hand. I always try to keep extra large Argentina red shrimp in our freezer, but I prefer to use a “less expensive” medium to large shrimp for this dish. The shrimp will be chopped, so either will work.

More Shrimp Recipes to Enjoy

Ingredients for Shrimp Chowder with Bacon

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Yukon Gold Potatoes
chicken broth
canned sweet corn, drained
medium to large shrimp (cooked or uncooked)
whole milk
half-and-half cream
butter
sweet yellow onion
all-purpose flour
dried or fresh parsley
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
bacon
cheddar cheese

Instructions for Making this Recipe

To begin, gather your ingredient so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

Using a sharp knife and cutting board, dice the potatoes and sweet yellow onion.

Thaw the shrimp in a colander under cool running water. Then peel, devein, and chop the shrimp.

Cook the strips of bacon in a small skillet. Cool and break into bite-size pieces. Reserve for garnish.

Shred the cheddar cheese and set aside until the end for garnish.

Make the Soup

In a medium saucepan, boil the potatoes in chicken broth until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add the drained corn and chopped shrimp to the potatoes.

If you’re using raw shrimp, you’ll want to allow the shrimp to cook for for 1-2 minutes before adding the milk.

Stir in milk and half and half.

In the same skillet that you cooked the bacon, sauté the onion and minced garlic, using the leftover bacon grease and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Add flour to make a paste.

Whisk the roux into the chowder, and continue cooking until it thickens to desired consistency.

Season with dried parsley, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Top with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.

This recipe will serve 4 people.

Serve this soup with a hard, crusty bread, such as my Tangy Sourdough Bread. Or maybe my Cheesy Garlic Biscuits.

For a wine, may I suggest Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc from Wine.com.

See more Soup Recipes Here. See more Seafood Recipes Here.