Chilled Corn Soup with Garlic Herb Shrimp
Enjoy this essence-of-summer Chilled Corn Soup with Garlic Herb Shrimp, silky and rich, with savory shrimp, shallots, and fresh mint!
Friends, this Chilled Corn Soup with Garlic Herb Shrimp is so refreshing for summer. We love a cold soup, which can be served as an appetizer, side, or a delicious lunch or dinner. Serve with hot crunchy bread.
Chilled Corn Soup
Chilled soup on a sweltering summer day is a simple joy in life. Gazpacho is great, but I think this simple chilled corn soup is at least 100 times better, because of its silky texture and multidimensional, rich flavor. We also just adore fresh summer corn in general. Maybe you’ve already tried our Bacon Corn Salad or these Lobster Avocado Corn Tacos!
Why we love this soup
The toppings add even more range, so don’t skip on the pickled red onion, fresh mint, and crunchy cucumber and toasted nuts. Oh, and the smoky, sweet, salty, savory shrimp, too!
This corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer, so let’s get started. You can make ahead, serve it chilled, or even warm. Sooooo good!
Ingredients for Chilled Corn Soup
Soup:
- Fresh corn
- Chicken or veggie broth
- Shallots
- Coconut milk
- Turmeric
- Lime
- Salt
For the shrimp:
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
- Pepper + salt
- Garlic
- Lemon or lime
- Shrimp
- Neutral oil (canola, vegetable, avocado)
Of course you can leave out the shrimp, but it really makes the recipe.
What do you serve on top of the soup?
This recipe not only uses the corn kernels, but the cobs as well (yay for reducing food waste!) The cobs are used to add starch to the chicken broth, providing even more starchy silkiness to the soup.
- Pickled red onion
- Persian or English cucumber (we buy the small Persian cucumbers at Trader Joe’s)
- Fresh mint
- Roasted peanuts or cashews, chopped
How to make Chilled Corn Soup:
- In a small pot, add the broth and corn cobs. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Once simmered, remove the cobs and transfer the broth to a blender.
- As the broth simmers, cook the shallots and corn and saute; then add the corn kernels.
- Season with another pinch of salt, and cook until the corn has softened and brightened in color. Add the turmeric and stir until fragrant, then add the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
- Transfer to the blender with the broth and blend on high until smooth. Add the zest and lime juice and blend once more. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cooled, or serve warm.
Make the shrimp:
- Make the marinade: In a small food processor, combine the olive oil, cilantro, black pepper, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend until combined, then taste for salt.
- Add the shrimp to a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Pour over the marinade and toss to coat and then refrigerate.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high and add neutral oil. Once shimmery, add the shrimp, and cook until no longer opaque and just beginning to curl (but be careful to not overcook to the point where the shrimp become a tight “o” shape).
- Allow shrimp to cool if you’re serving soup chilled.
How to serve chilled soup with corn and shrimp:
Pour the chilled soup into bowls and top with shrimp, cucumber, pickled red onion, toasted nuts, and herbs. Squeeze with fresh lime and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions:
- This soup is delicious served warm or cold. If you’re serving it warm, taste for salt as you cook and blend the soup well.
- If you’re serving this chilled on a hot day, season lightly with salt along the way, because the flavor will be different after the soup chills.
- Use fresh local organic corn, scallions in place of shallots. Hot sauce is delicious on top, too.
- You can swap the coconut milk for half-and-half, whole milk, or your favorite unflavored and unsweetened nut milk.
Here’s a cream of corn soup for summer entertaining! It’s slightly sweet, creamy and full of corn flavor. Plus, each serving gets topped with addictive garlic herb shrimp for the ultimate combination of creamy, savory, crispy, and salty!
ENJOY!
More sweet corn recipes to try:
Charred Corn and Rosemary Grilled Pizza
Sweet Asian Slaw with Apple and Corn
Get the Recipe:
Chilled Corn and Shallot Soup with Garlic Herb Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 large ears yellow corn, kernels removed, cobs reserved and halved
- 1 ½ c chicken or veggie broth
- ¾-1 c minced shallots, about 2 large shallots
- 1 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 limes, zested and juiced
- Salt to taste
Garlic Herb Shrimp:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ packed c cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
- .5-.75 lb raw shrimp
- 3 Tbsp neutral oil, canola, vegetable, avocado
To serve:
- Pickled red onion
- Persian or English cucumber
- Fresh mint
- Roasted peanuts or cashews, chopped
Instructions
- In a small pot, add the broth and corn cobs. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minute. Once simmered, remove the cobs and transfer the broth to a blender.
- As the broth simmers, cook the shallots and corn. In a medium pot, add the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the shallots and season with salt. Sauté for 6 minutes, then add the corn kernels. Season with another pinch of salt and cook until the corn has softened and brightened in color—8 more minutes. Add the turmeric and stir until fragrant, then add the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer to the blender with the broth and blend on high until smooth. Add the zest and lime juice and blend once more. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cooled, or serve warm.(see note).
Cook the shrimp:
- Make the marinade: In a small food processor, combine the olive oil, cilantro, black pepper, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend until combined, then taste for salt.
- Add the shrimp to a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Pour over the marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate 20-30 minutes.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high and add 2 Tbsp neutral oil. Once shimmery, add the shrimp and cook 1 1/2-2- minutes per side, or until no longer opaque and just beginning to curl (but be careful to not overcook to the point where the shrimp becomes a tight “o” shape).
- Allow shrimp to cool if you’re serving soup chilled.
- Pour the chilled soup into bowls and top with shrimp, cucumber, pickled red onion, toasted nuts, and herbs. Squeeze with fresh lime and enjoy!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
