Shrimp Chowder

In keeping with the cooler weather, here's another warm, tasty, surprisingly easy batch of comfort food. It's even relatively inexpensive! I'd been trying to find a recipe for shrimp chowder that had everything I wanted and failing miserably, so I decided to write my own. I think it's pretty darn tasty!

There may actually be all of the ingredients pictured here.

I hesitated to write that, for fear of jinxing it, but I really think it's true. Somebody make a note, all right? Shrimp of course, along with corn, lima beans, orange and yellow bell pepper, red potato, onion, garlic, green onion, cannelini beans (for thickening), clam juice, evaporated milk, and a bunch of seasonings. Yes, I really do think all the ingredients can be found in this picture. Weird!

You don't have to do this first, but I did. After rinsing and draining the cannelini beans, toss them in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, mustard powder, and garlic and puree the heck out of it. You'll have to scrape the sides down a few times to make sure everything gets ground. When there are no longer chunks showing, drizzle the olive oil while processor is running to smooth it out.

You'll know you're done when it looks like you've made hummus. And this is actually pretty good just as it is if you want to use this part for dip. I've done it before, since it's things I always have in the house. I'd recommend adding some salt and pepper or more garlic, but you don't have to. For our purposes, however, you'll just be setting this aside until you need it a little later.

Once you've diced the potato and onion, put them in a large soup pot. Add some water, and bring it to a boil. You only want to cook them a few minutes before going on to the next step, or you'll end up with potato mush.

Add the corn, lima beans, and bell peppers, and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the potatoes are tender, but still firm.

Now add the shrimp, clam juice, bean puree, and remaining seasonings to the pan. Stir until the beans completely incorporate into the liquid, then continue cooking for a few more minutes until the shrimp turn pink and start to curl.

You're almost there! Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the evaporated milk. At this point, you're done, but you may want to return it to low heat for a few minutes to make sure it's hot enough for your taste. This is also when you'd add more salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.

To serve, ladle into shallow bowls and scatter with thinly sliced green onion. Or snipped fresh chives would probably work, if you'd rather. Or, heck, leave the garnish off entirely... I usually do!

This does not freeze well at all, so you're just going to have to suffer through eating a bowl of deliciousness every day until it's gone. We are a house of two people, and we got four meals out of it, so I know it lasts at least four days in the refrigerator. To reheat, I ladled into bowls and microwaved on high for 2 minutes, then stirred and heated another minute... your mileage will vary depending on your microwave.

A suggestion, however, regardless of how much of a pain it is. Take out the shrimp when you microwave it the first time, then add them back in when you stir. Otherwise, they get obnoxiously overcooked, and nobody wants to ruin excellent chowder with rubbery shrimp.

Shrimp Chowder

Serves 8

1 (15.5 ounce) can cannelini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
2 garlic cloves, rough chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup red potato, diced (1 large)
1 cup baby lima beans, thawed if frozen
1 cup corn, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails removed, thawed if frozen
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
1 (12 ounce) can low-fat evaporated milk
1 tablespoon salt-free seasoning (I used Great Lakes blend from Spice and Tea Merchants)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 scallions, sliced in rings

In a food processor or blender, combine beans, mustard powder, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse until smoothly pureed, scraping down sides as often as necessary. With food processor still running, drizzle oil in a steady stream and process until completely combined. Set aside.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine onion and potato with 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add lima beans, corn, and bell peppers and continue to cook, covered, an additional 3-4 minutes until potatoes are tender but still firm.

Add shrimp, clam juice, bean puree, and seasonings to the pot along with an additional 1/2 cup water. Stir until bean puree dissolves, then continue to cook over medium heat, uncovered, until shrimp turns pink and starts to curl (about 10 minutes).

Remove pan from heat and stir in evaporated milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return pan to low heat if necessary until desired temperature. Spoon into bowls and garnish with scallion rings.

Per Serving:

Calories: 232

Total Fat: 5.7g

Saturated Fat: 1.1g

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 114mg

Sodium: 492mg

Total Carbohydrates: 25.7g

Dietary Fiber: 4.6g

Sugars: 2.3g

Protein: 20.4g