Cajun Shrimp and Corn Chowder

This shrimp and corn chowder is more like a soup texture, because I like it to be thinner. It makes me feel like I’m not consuming as many creamy calories. 🙂 I cook this in the Instant Pot, but it can easily be cooked in a skillet, and easily transferred to a Crock Pot to cook longer.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (frozen is fine)
• 6 slices of bacon
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1 sweet onion
• 3-4 stalks of celery
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 cups of frozen corn
• 2 garlic cloves ( you can omit if you choose)
• 1 lb. of gold or red potatoes, diced
• Green onion for garnish (optional)
• 1 cup of heavy cream or half and half
• 4 cups of chicken or seafood stock ( I use chicken)
• 2 tablespoons of flour

Seasonings

• Small spoonful of Old Bay Seasoning.
• 1-2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning. (This is what adds spice, so add less if you want mild.)
• half a teaspoon of dried Thyme

I set my Instant Pot to saute mode, and add the butter, diced potatoes, bacon, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery. Those take the longest to cook, so saute them all together until they start to get soft.

Next, add the shrimp (thawed), flour, corn, and all the seasonings (Old Bay, Cajun Seasoning, and Thyme) to the pan and start cooking everything together. Shrimp cook very quickly, which is why I add them towards the end.

Once the shrimp are done, or get close to being done, turn the Instant Pot off saute mode and put it on slow cooker mode.

Next, add in the chicken stock and heavy cream. Let it cook on slow cooker mode until it is all combined and hot. The longer you cook, the more the flavors develop. I try to let it cook for about 1-2 hours.

Serve it up and garnish the the green onion. Serve with warm french bread. ENJOY!

Cooking Notes

Since I use the Instant Pot, all I need is one pot. You can totally use the Crock Pot and a skillet. Simply cook all of the ingredients in a skillet and pour into the Crock Pot. Then add the cream and chicken stock to Crock Pot and cook on high until hot.

If you are in a hurry and don’t want to slow cook, you can cook ingredients in skillet, then transfer into a large pot on the stove. Cook on simmer or low heat until you’re ready to serve.

There are definitely more refined ways of making this, but I am all about quick and easy. Many Pinterest versions have more steps, but I am all about easy, and this tastes SO good!