Lately, I have been really craving corn. I know that’s an odd craving, but maybe knowing that the end of summer is just around the corner, my taste buds are trying to savor every last kernel of the season.
So I went to work in the kitchen to whip up a healthy corn chowder recipe, also utilizing some beautiful fresh scallops I had just purchased. I decided to use some roasted corn from Trader Joe’s. I love the smoky taste that roasted corn has, and it worked perfectly with the chipotle seasonings I used in the chowder.
The delicate flavor of the pan seared scallops was absolutely amazing in this hearty and very filling chowder. I also added in some of my favorite real bacon bits, which complemented the dish perfectly. This Scallops and Roasted Corn Chowder recipe turned out flawless! It was so incredibly delicious. Even my 1 year old daughter gobbled it up (although, that girl eats EVERYTHING, bless her heart).
And at just 5 Points per serving, this Scallops and Roasted Corn Chowder Recipe is a must try.
Scallops and Roasted Corn Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 medium sized fresh scallops
- 2 cups roasted corn kernels - fresh or frozen
- ½ medium yellow onion - diced
- ½ cup fat free half and half
- 2 cups fat free chicken broth
- 1 tbsp light butter - I used Brummel & Brown
- 3 tbsp real bacon bits
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle pepper seasoning
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash scallops, pat dry, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Lightly mist with nonstick cooking spray. Add in the bacon, and heat until bacon becomes crispy and fragrant – about 2 minutes.
- Add in about ¼ cup of the chicken stock, and with a rubber spatula, deglaze the pot by scraping up all the browned bits from bottom of the pot, if any.
- Add in the onion and garlic and sauté for about another 5 minutes. Add in more of the broth if you need to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pot.
- Stir in paprika, red pepper, chipotle and salt & pepper. Saute for about another minute.
- Add in the corn, and stirring occasionally, let cook for another 2 minutes, just until the corn is heated through.
- Now add in the rest of the stock. Turn heat down to a low simmer, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the half and half, and using an immersion blender, place it in the pot and pulse it a few times until about half of the soup becomes creamy, still leaving whole kernels as well. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle about a cup and a half of the soup into a blender and pulse until creamy. Pour back into the pot and stir to combine.
- In the meantime, cook scallops by melting butter in a large non-stick skillet, and setting over medium heat. Make sure pan is nice and hot before adding in scallops (you should see a tiny bit of smoke coming up from the melted butter).
- Place scallops in the skillet and cook until browned well on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. *NOTE: Because of variation in scallop thickness, pan temperatures and so on, it's not easy to pinpoint an exact cooking time. But after a couple of minutes, it's OK to peek underneath. If you see a nice, caramel-colored crust on the underside, they're ready to flip.
- Divide chowder evenly into 4 bowls, and top with 3 scallops each. Top with fresh chopped chives.
10 Comments
What about adding shrimp & potatoes
This was very good, however next time I would cut the paprika and chitpotle seasoning in half. We LOVE HOT food, but this was too spicy even for us. I skipped the bacon and used half fat free 1/2 & 1/2 and half light cream. Will definitly make again!
Do you have a points + value per serving without the scallops?
I don’t. But the scallops are pretty light…I don’t think that removing them would affect the Points + value by more than 1 or two.
Do you add in rice or something? I must have missed it… HELP!!! Making it right now! Thanks!
Do you have to use half and half? I only have skim milk and was hoping I could use that. And what if you don’t have a blender?
We made this tonight. Even with my husband putting in way too much chipotle power, it was amazing. The flavor was wonderfully right and it complemented the scallops so well. Nice job!
I always crave corn– it’s not an odd craving at all..or I’m just weird :)
I always crave corn– it’s not an odd craving at all..or I’m just weird :)
I always crave corn– it’s not an odd craving at all..or I’m just weird :)