Whenever the first snowflake hits the window, I head for the kitchen to make some kind of soup or chowder. To me, nothing is better than soup on a cold and snowy day. The snow started falling in my village about an hour ago, so it was time to visit the pantry and see what I had in stock. I had a taste for seafood but only had a small can of clams and one of tiny shrimp. It was then I remembered a recipe I hadn’t made in a while. It’s a seafood chowder that actually needs the canned products because it needs the juice for part of the broth. It also called for frozen crab meat which I happened to have from a recent trip to Trader Joe’s. I checked for the other ingredients and I was ready to go!
My memory served me well – it was delicious! Besides the seafood, it has white wine, thyme, parsley, potatoes, bacon, creamed corn, garlic, green onion, milk, and half-and-half. It tastes so good that no one will believe there are any canned products at all, plus it’s easy and ready in an hour or less.
- 4-1/2 ounce can tiny shrimp, undrained
- 6-1/2 ounce can minced clams, undrained
- 8-ounce package frozen crabmeat, thawed
- 8 strips bacon, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups peeled, diced potatoes
- 15-ounce can cream-style corn
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2 cups whole milk, slightly warmed or at room temperature
- 1 cup half-and-half, slightly warmed or at room temperature
- Drain shrimp and crab, reserving liquid. Shred the crabmeat with your fingers and add to the shrimp and clams; set seafood and liquid aside.
- Saute bacon in a soup pot until crispy. Drain off all but 1 Tablespoon of bacon drippings. Add garlic, seafood liquid, wine, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Add creamed corn, green onion, and parsley. Stir in milk and half-and-half. Bring just to boil, whisking constantly. Add all seafood and cook over medium heat until very hot. Season to taste. Note: I save some of the cooked bacon to sprinkle on top of each serving along with some sliced green onion tops.
Thank you for this latest recipe! It does sound really delicious!
Sounds marvelous. Can’t wait to try it over the Christmas holidays with your other shrimp recipe. I know they will both be a big hit. I will let you know. Thanks for the recipes.
Kim, I know how your family loves shrimp and I always think about you when I find a good recipe.