If you are tired of grilling corn or making nice summery corn salads, cool down with this flavorful creamy corn soup topped with a light and refreshing shrimp and cucumber salad! Perfect for the summer days and really can be put together in no time!
The soup is only a handful of ingredients. Fresh basil and ginger are steeped into the soup and then strained out. The aroma is amazing!
Milk or cream is not needed! The natural thickening agents in corn (corn starch) will thicken it up nicely. When shucking the corn, make sure to get the milk, it will add more flavor and help to thicken. Also, reserved the cobs to make a quick corn stock.
I really enjoyed how light and refreshing the soup turned out, and I’m thinking of ways to tweak it and change it up. Next month I’m planning a dinner with friends and would love to turn it into a “corn pudding.”
Regardless, have fun with different flavors. I bet lemongrass would be nice and aromatic! Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I did!
Recipe: Chilled Corn Soup With Shrimp & Cucumber
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients:
For the Corn Stock:
- 4 corn cobs, shucked and corn kernels placed aside
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 onion roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 cups water
For the Soup:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small leek, trimmed cleaned, and sliced thinly
- 2 cups corn stock
- 4 cups corn kernels from cobs to make stock
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger smashed and left whole
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- kosher salt to taste
- a pinch of white pepper, ground
For the Shrimp & Cucumber Salad:
- 1/2 pound shrimp
- 3 tablespoons diced cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons diced red onions
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- lime juice to taste
- a pinch of kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- fresh torn basil to garnish
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in to a pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once at a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. Strain and place aside.
- In a pot over medium heat, melt butter then add leeks. Sweat for 1-2 minutes then add the corn, corn stock, ginger, and basil. Cook for 10-20 minutes, then turn off the heat and let everything sit for 5 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in shrimp. Cook for 4 minutes until done. Shock in ice water and then rough chop the shrimp. Toss shrimp, cucumber, red onion, ginger and yogurt in a bowl. Season with the lime juice, salt, and black pepper to taste.
- Take out the basil sprigs and ginger. Ladle soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Strain into a bowl and season with salt and white pepper. Chill in the refrigerator.
- Ladle the chilled soup into a bowl and top with the shrimp cucumber salad. Garnish with fresh torn basil and enjoy!
