Low Country Shrimp Boil Chowder

Everyone’s favorite low country shrimp boil ingredients come together in a delicious, creamy, and warming chowder that’s perfect for a winter evening wherever you are.

It doesn’t get too cold down here in Florida, even in the winter months. We’ve got a couple days coming up where the lows are in the 40s and the highs are in the 60s, but that’s about it. Still, we do enjoy the opportunity to break out our cool-weather recipes.

Lately, I’ve been making a lot of soups and chowders to enjoy while the weather is cooler. I’ve got a pretty good inventory of those built up here on Home Front Cooking, and we have chili on a regular rotation around here.

But I wanted to create something that had a little more of a local flavor and would give us that hearty chowder taste but include some Florida favorites.

Turning our favorite low country shrimp boil into a chowder seemed like the most natural thing in the world!

I started with some basics from my home garden – gold potatoes, sweet onions, thyme, parsley, and garden vegetable broth, which is just the chicken broth recipe with no chicken added. For those of you who have been around here for a while, you know I’m all about the home garden, and ours has been rocking and rolling since we’ve moved

Then we added some andouille sausage and gulf shrimp from our local farmer’s market, a little bit of this and that from the pantry and freezer, and came up with a fresh, chunky, creamy delicious chowder that has all my favorite home flavors but can be enjoyed anywhere, and pretty much during any season!

Let’s make this pot of deliciousness!

You’ll need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/2 lb Andouille or Italian sausage
• 1 lb large shrimp
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 32 oz vegetable broth (or chicken broth, because we make that, too)
• 1 pkg 16-oz frozen corn
• 1 1/2 lbs golden potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup whole milk
• fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Get out a large stock pot and set it on medium heat. Add the oil, onion, and bacon. Cook 12-15 minutes or until the onion is tender and the bacon is brown and crisp, stirring often.

Add the thyme and butter. Cook until the butter is melted and the thyme is fragrant (2-3 minutes).

Add the flour and cook 2-3 more minutes until the flour is incorporated, and stir constantly. Gradually whisk in the broth into the mix until smooth. If you want a less thick consistency, add a half cup of water and whisk again.

Stir in the corn and potatoes. Partially cover and heat to a simmer on high. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 12-14 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Slice the sausage. Fill a second stock pot with about 2-inches of water and set over medium-high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer the sausage in the water for 10-12 minutes. Stir, cover, and let steam a couple more minutes to open up all the flavor.

Whisk the milk into the corn and potato mixture. Heat again to a simmer and cook 2 minutes until the whole mix is heated through and slightly thickened. Stir often.

Add the sausage and shrimp to the corn and potato mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes to reheat the sausage and cook the shrimp. Finish when the shrimp is nice and pink and cooked through.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with the fresh chopped parsley.

Here’s the recipe card:

Low Country Shrimp Boil Chowder

Everyone's favorite low country shrimp boil ingredients come together in a delicious, creamy, and warming chowder that's perfect for a winter evening wherever you are.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 310 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet onion finely chopped
• 5 slices bacon chopped
• 1/2 lb andouille or Italian sausage
• 1 lb large shrimp
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 1 pkg 16-oz frozen corn
• 1 lb golden potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup whole milk
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

• In a large stock pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the finely chopped onion and chopped bacon. Cook 12-15 minutes until the onion is tender and bacon is browned, stirring often.
• Add the thyme and butter. Cook until butter is melted and the thyme is fragrant.
• Add the flour over the melted butter and cook 2-3 minutes until flour is fully incorporated, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the broth until smooth. If you want a less thick consistency, add a half cup of water.
• Stir in the corn and potatoes. Partially cover and heat to a simmer on high. Reduce to medium and simmer 12-14 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
• While the corn and potatoes are simmering, slice the sausage. Fill a stock pot with about 2-inches of water. When the water boils, reduce the heat simmer the sausage in the water for about 10-12. Stir once, cover, and let steam a couple more minutes.
• Whisk in the milk to the corn and potato mixture. Heat to a simmer and cook 2 minutes until heated through and slightly thickened, stirring often.
• Add the sausage and shrimp and cook for another 2-3 minutes to heat up the meat.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with the fresh parsley.

Notes

Optional: If you're a spice fan, add a couple tablespoons of Old Bay when you mix in the thyme. We love that little bit of Baltimore flavor in this Southern-style favorite.

Keyword chowder, corn, potato, savory, shrimp, soup

We love this dish {the only complaint was from the guys who don’t like tails on their shrimp and wished I’d cut or pulled them off ahead of time} but we’d love to know what you think, how you cook it, and what you pair with it! Let us know!

Here’s wishing you cozy kitchens and delicious food!