Saturday, January 22, 2011

Maine Shrimp Chowder - Pink Saturday



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a light and lovely soup that's more like an oyster stew than a traditional seafood chowder. Save for shrimp and potatoes, there is little in this soup to distract from the briny taste of its creamy, but thin, broth. A traditional chowder has a base of bacon and is thickened with crushed crackers or a roux. They were originally made with chunks of fish and vegetables that were boiled in a large pot that the French called a "Chaudiere." The Chaudiere named both the cooking vessel and the stew that cooked in it. Over time, the word was corrupted by our New England ancestors and the stew became known as a chowder. Today's chowder contains no bacon, and no thickener of any type is added to the milk or cream in which the shrimp are simmered. This is a really easy dish to make. If you are at all skilled with a knife, you can move this simple meal from pot to table in less than 45 minutes. I found the recipe at Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes, a wonderful blog that I hope you all will visit. I've made some small changes to the recipe. I cut all ingredients in half because this type of chowder doesn't reheat well. I also utilized the shrimp shells to help flavor the chowder base. While you can use light cream or half-and-half to make a slightly richer chowder, an effort to make it less rich by using reduced fat milk will yield disappointing results.. I know that those of you who try this chowder will love it. Here's the recipe.

Maine Shrimp Chowder...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Mary at Ocean Breezes, Country Sneezes

Ingredients:
1 pound of fresh shrimp in shells
2 cups light cream, half-and-half or whole milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 large onion sliced
2 tablespoons butter
3 medium russet potatoes, cut in 1/4-inch slices
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1) In a medium saucepan, bring cream or milk to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low.
2) Shell and de-vein shrimp. Rinse shells and place in pan with simmering cream. Cover and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Pour cream or milk through a sieve. Discard shells. Add cheese and stir until cheese melts. Keep warm.
3) Meanwhile, saute onions in hot butter in deep pot until tender. Add boiling water, then sliced potatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer covered 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Then add shrimp, and hot milk and simmer just until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Bouillabaisse - The Hunger Struck
Fish Soup - Tobias Cooks
Oyster Stew - Seriously Soupy
Provencal Seafood Bisque - Simply Recipes
Swedish Fish Soup - Klutzy Chef
Fish and Shellfish Soup, Spanish Style - The Winter Guest
Seafood Bourride - Blue Kitchen
Manhattan Clam Chowder - One Perfect Bite
New England Clam Chowder - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

56 comments :

Linda Starr said...

I've always heard of Maine lobster, but not shrimp, but never mind they are both good I am sure as those cold waters raise them up to such good flavor and your recipe look delicious.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear MAry
How are you? Happy New year!! (This is for 2011, as it will be too early for 2012).
I was travelling and was in the wilderness of the Ganges delta, criss-crossing water bodies, mangrove forest and frighteningly beautiful too.
I like this dish. I have located a place in Delhi, from where I can get varieties of cheese and will try soon.
Let me see what all I have missed here.
Have a nice weekend

Monet said...

There is nothing like a good chowder...and I love that you included my seafood of choice: shrimp. Thank you for sharing yet another delicious recipe. I hope you have a wonderful weekend...enjoy yourself and eat well!

Ginny Hartzler said...

This is so pretty! And I love your origin of the word story!

Don't Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys! said...

One of my favorite foods, chowder. This is on the top of my "to make" list. It looks wonderful.

Jacqueline said...

Oh, shrimp in any form sounds wonderful. This chowder look gorgeous and of course it is perfect for Pink Saturday. I try to find pink foods and hadn't even thought of gorgeous pink shrimp! Happy Pink Saturday.

Chiara said...

I never ate chowder, I really have to try to cook this dish, it looks wonderful, I love shrimps!
have a good weekend dear Mary...

tobias cooks! said...

Great combo of flavours! Looks delicious.

Cakebrain said...

I just know from reading this recipe that this would be delicious! It looks wonderfully flavourful.

Priya Suresh said...

Slurp,irresistible chowder,truly inviting..

FOODESSA said...

Seafood...potatoes will always comfort me...and this warm bowl will help me get through our chilly winter for sure ;o)

Thanks for trying out all these recipes and putting your twist on it Mary.

Have agreat Saturday,
Claudia

Carol at Serendipity said...

Mary,

This is wonderful. I visited Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes. I recognize all the places she talks about in Maine and have been to all of them.

I agree about a smaller portion because shellfish to not reheat well.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Carol

Flavia Galasso said...

Next time I'm going to try it...absolutely delicious!!! Thanks , MAry, as always, hugs and a blessed weekend ciao Flavia

Koek! said...

A lovely recipe... Just my kind of food. Simple, yummy, everyday ingredients. Nice one.

Lucie said...

I really enjoy this kind of light broth. This sounds like a wonderful chowder recipe that's not 'too much'--thanks, Mary!

foodie and the chef said...

I've always found chowder a tad full-on, you really have to be in the 'mood'. This looks so lovely and delicate, I'm looking forward to trying it :)

Eat. Laugh. Run. said...

This looks divine- and something easy enough I could maybe whip up in my small kitchen here at school when the dining hall fails me. Thank you!

Tasha said...

This soups looks lovely, and actually sounds even tastier than the similar version I had in Maine this summer. My shrimp loving family would love it, I'm sure.

Clint said...

This is gonna sound strange, because it is...but I never had chowder except from a can until about 10 years ago. I didn't like it.

Then someone talked me into trying some at a Boston restaurant, and I was blown away. Yours looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

Diane said...

This sounds quite delicious. Have a good weekend. Diane

June said...

We love our chowda' and I can't wait to add this one to our list. Yumm - beautiful photo too Mary, as usual!

Jeannie said...

Love the look of your chowder Mary, anything with shrimps looks good enough:D

From the Kitchen said...

I'm welcoming new soup/chowder recipes right now. It's still quite cold but warm soup and a trusty furnace are keeping us happy.

Best,
Bonnie

Kim said...

I never had shrimp chowder and this one would be surely for me. I love it. Have a nice week-end Mary!

PeggyR said...

That sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm...delicious!! I have never had shrimp chowder, New England clam chowder is my favorite chowder. I will have to give this recipe a try! :)

JG said...

I've never tasted Shrimp Chowder and yours looks so appealing. We always enjoy Clam Chowder.
~Judy

Unknown said...

This sounds absolutely delicious - I just moved away from New England, and I've been craving chowder big-time. Your recipe reminds me of Rhode Island-style chowder - not creamy, but light and briny. With lobster, even better!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Katerina said...

Shrimp chowder is something I have never attempted to do. You just intrigued me into doing so.

Donnie said...

That looks delicious but I love the blue bowls. Happy Pink Saturday.

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons said...

I'm for sure in a soup mood lately! This will be a great one to add to my must-try list! It looks fabulous!

xoxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

Pushpa said...

Shrimp chowder looks so delectable.

Foodiewife said...

What an honor it must have been for a fellow food blogger to have you make their recipe. You've set the bar high for your photography, writing and beautiful recipes. I've been surviving on soup for the last week, because of a cold. I have frozen shrimp, and I'm seriously thinking this would a beautiful dish to make and enjoy. I like that you utilized the shrimp shells. They flavor the broth a few extra notches. Just lovely...

Rita said...

I never thought of making a shrimp chowder; Excellent idea and true comfort food.

Big Dude said...

Mary - The shot looks so good, I wanted to lick my screen. This is one real try soon.

Jen_from_NJ said...

Your chowder looks just perfect - perfect for the snowy weather ahead of us - again!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Such a pretty chowder--love the fact that it is lighter but still looks full of wonderful ingredients.
;-) Happy Weekend.

kim said...

This looks wonderful, although I wouldn't call it light because of the cream, butter, and cheese! Ha!

Anonymous said...

This looks wonderful. I think I would like this better than clam chowder.

Ana Powell said...

So delicious but well posh ♥

teresa said...

oh how delicious!! i just love seafood chowder, and i've never had it with shrimp, but what a great idea! enjoy your weekend!

Martha said...

This looks amazing Mary!

LV said...

I love shrimp. This really looks so tasty. I wish I lived near you.

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Hi Mary Sweetie...
Happy Pink Saturday and thank you for the wonderful share again today. You really know how to get my palate drooling for the evening don't you?

I have already had dinner and I believe I could sit down and have a bowl of this delightful, tantalizing dish of shrimp. Oh my what a wonderful cook you are.

I bet you have neighbors knocking everytime they pass to see what is cooking in the kitchen with Mary.

Have a glorious Sunday sweetie. Many hugs and much love, Sherry

scrambledhenfruit said...

I've made oyster chowder, but never shrimp. It sounds delicious! :)

Anonymous said...

This chowder looks like something wonderful that I would love.

RSA Online said...

That looks great! I'm always on the hunt for new shrimp recipes ;)

Unknown said...

This soup really looks wonderful. Im going to try it soon! Great blog, thanks for sharing!

That Girl said...

This is a gorgeous looking soup!

Decor To Adore said...

Now this post is full of true pink perfection! So very lovely.

We did a whole flea market booth of pink accents. Come take a peek:
http://metislinens.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful weekend!

Faith said...

I've never had shrimp chowder, but after seeing this delicious-looking soup, it's all I can think about! I love the flavors in here, Mary!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

With the frigid temps we're having, I'm wishing I had a big bowl of this beautiful soup for dinner tonight.

claire said...

i have only ever had clam chowder... this looks phenomenal though! thanks for sharing!

Beverly said...

My family loves seafood soups and chowders, and this looks and sounds delicious. These ingredients will be on my shopping list for this weekend.

Happy Pink Saturday, Mary.

Magdalena said...

I have a problem with chowder..I tried it many times, when I visited the U.S. . I remember the taste of this dish somewhere in the U.S. when I was travelling with my father from Vancouver to L.A.and then I read some recipes, and I do not know which one I should start with. I love hearty soups, as I mentioned in one of my previous comments, do you think I can succeed with your recipe ?

RSA Sydney said...

This is really a fabolous dish to prepare and to eat. Thanks a lot for your presentation.

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