This is how lazy Joey and I are.  When we went to the grocery store on Saturday, instead of buying fresh corn to make chowder with, we almost bought frozen.  There we are, produce bag open, first ear of corn in hand, when we decide having to shuck and de-kernel it ourselves is not worth it.

Luckily, we came to our senses.  I mean, it is corn season after all.  It would be a crime not to take advantage of how cheap and delicious fresh corn is right now.

I made this chowder a few weeks ago and while I wasn’t overly wowed by it, Joey declared it “AWESOME!!”  So I was determined to make some changes that wowed me, while still maintaining the chowder’s “AWESOME”-ness.  I’m pretty delighted by what I came up with.

Smoky Corn and Shrimp Chowder

• 1 tsp olive oil (plus a drizzle for the shrimp)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 6 ears corn
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 T paprika
• a pinch crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• pepper to taste
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 lb shrimp
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1. Shuck corn and cut kernels off.
2. Chop onion and garlic.  Heat olive oil and liquid smoke, then add onion, garlic, salt pepper, paprika and crushed red pepper.  Cook until onions and garlic are soft.
3. Add corn and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add broth to the pot, simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat and cool so you can add the yogurt without it curdling.
5. While the soup cools, peel your shrimp, then toss in salt, pepper and cumin.
6. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan and arrange the shrimp in one layer.  Once browned and crispy, flip and repeat on the other side.
7. Once shrimp are done, stir yogurt into soup, then use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree some of the soup.
8. Stir in shrimp and enjoy!

Joey was out golfing when I made this, so it was me, the Chopped Grill Masters finale and chowder.  Turns out de-kerneling corn and peeling shrimp is pretty cathartic.  And totally worth it.

Laziness doesn’t create chowder this good.