Salmon and Corn Chowder is a comforting Scandinavian inspired salmon soup with lots of potatoes and fresh corn ~ file it under cozy dinner-in-a-bowl!
I’ve been making this salmon and corn chowder recipe for as long as I can remember
And we still get excited every time it ‘s on our weekly menu. There’s something so comforting about the combination, and even though it’s extra special when I can get fabulous summer corn, we still love it in mid winter.
This chowder could be done with other fish like cod, shrimp or lobster, it’s a super versatile dish.
Chowders are my favorite soups ~ they’re so satisfying and chunky, almost like white stews. Feathery dill and fresh corn off the cob firmly ground this chowder in summer (we have 3 more weeks!), but the creamy base heavily loaded with quartered potatoes and hunks of salmon—maybe some herbed rolls on the side?—gently suggests fall. As an added bonus, this soup provides one more option for eating more of that super-hero of health foods, salmon.
My secret ingredients…
- A dab of tomato paste will delicately tint the soup pink, and is also a nice visual echo of the salmon.
- The cob magically imparts an extra ‘corny’ flavor to the chowder, you’ll be amazed.
What to serve with salmon and corn chowder
I love soup for dinner because it gives you an excuse to eat biscuits or a big hunk of bread along with it.
- Vidalia Onion Cornbread
- Homemade Hawaiian Rolls
- Rosemary and Olive Focaccia Bread
- Easy Dutch Oven Bread
Salmon and Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound raw salmon, skin off, cut in large chunks
- 1 pound new potatoes, skin on, cut in quarters or eighths, depending on size
- 3 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed. (reserve one cob)
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp tomato paste from a tube
- salt and fresh pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika
- a bunch of fresh dill
Instructions
- Add just enough water to cover the chopped potatoes in a pan and simmer until they are tender but still firm. Add the corn kernels and simmer for another minute or two.
- Meanwhile melt the two tablespoons of butter in a large soup pot and saute the onions until translucent. Add in the tomato paste and the flour and stir for a minute.
- Pour in 2 cups of milk and whisk until it’s combined. Add in the potatoes, corn, and their water. Add in one of the corn cobs, broken in half.
- Season with salt and pepper and paprika and bring up to a simmer. The chowder will have thickened a little bit by now. Add in the salmon chunks and simmer for just a minute, then turn off the heat and cover.
- After the chowder has cooled you can refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When you are ready to eat, remove the cobs, bring the chowder back up to a simmer and check the seasonings. At this point I break up the larger chunks of salmon. Add a little more tomato paste if the chowder isn’t pink enough for you. Add more milk if it’s too thick, and be sure to taste and season well with salt and pepper. Scatter in the chopped fresh dill just before serving.
Nutrition
I made the salmon and corn chowder. It was so delicious. Made homemade sourdough bread to go with it. I would eat it for breakfast it was so good
Definitely a keeper! Thank you for all your delicious and inspiring recipes.
Carolyn
So funny you should say that Carolyn, whenever I made a salmon chowder of any kind my favorite time to enjoy it is for breakfast 🙂
I have about 4 cans of salmon . Can these be substituted in this recipe? I have been trying to find something to do with them!
I haven’t used canned salmon very much, but it should work fine.