Give the Blender a Break

In the Ecuadoran soup on which today’s entry is based, the broth and such are put through a blender one last time, just before service, ensuring a smooth consistency.  That’s a shame, as it also pulverizes the bits of color and the traces of texture that make Shrimp and Corn Chowder so interesting, so appealing.

Better to use a fine dice, which preserves the soup’s silky essence while leaving the contents intact, intriguing in both visuals and in taste.  And what delicious contents they are.  Chef Maricel Presilla developed the preparation in her restaurant Zafra, which brings to New Jersey splashes of color from Presilla’s native country.  Food & Wine, in turn, features the recipe in its September 2018 magazine.

Shrimp is vital, of course, befitting a soup from coastal Ecuador, just across the Andes from the jungled Amazon basin.  Advisable to select plump shrimp, whose succulence the lime-based marinade enhances.  More than a little suggestive of the ceviches so common along South America’s Pacific Coast.  Of course, in this case, the shrimp also cooks in the soup, yet the flavorful juiciness is retained.

Another key ingredient is annatto oil, which imparts a subtle yet profound crimson to the vegetables which sauté in it, and ultimately turns the soup a rich yellow.  Annatto seeds serve Latin American cooks much in the same way saffron does their Asian counterparts.  Simmering just a few seeds transforms oil to a translucent red, as seen below:

Above all, though, is the corn, showcased two different ways.  First, it’s blended with milk and strained, producing a nectar with a gently sweet freshness.  This is mixed into soup as it cooks.  Then, just before the chowder is served, it’s topped with a generous serving of fresh corn salsa.  This matches nicely similar flavors already in the broth, and it adds a crunchy “pop.”

As mentioned earlier, you don’t want a blender to diminish this excellence.  Yes, the flavors will survive largely intact, but the soup will lose something.  After you’ve used the blender once, give it the rest of the evening.  Do it for taste, do it for texture, do it for Ecuador!

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Shrimp and Corn Chowder

For the annatto oil:

• 1 cup corn oil
• 1/4 cup annatto seeds

For the corn salsa:

• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or, if frozen, thawed
• 3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 tablespoons coarsely-chopped cilantro
• 2 and 1/2tablespoons fresh lime juice
• salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

For the chowder:

• 2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
•  salt, to taste
• 2 cup corn kernels, fresh of, if frozen, thawed
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (*1)
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 green plantain, peeled and coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

First, prepare the annatto oil.  Put the oil and the annatto seeds in a small saucepan and place it over a low flame.  When it begins to simmer, cover the pan and turn off the heat.  Keep it covered for 30 minutes, then strain the oil into a jar, discarding the seeds.  Set aside

Next, make the salsa.  Place the corn in a small saucepan and just cover it with water.  Add a dash or two of salt.  Place the pan over a medium flame and bring to a boil.  Cook for a minute if using frozen corn, three minutes if it’s fresh.  Drain and let cool.

In a small bowl, combine the corn with the other salsa ingredients.  Set aside while you prepare the chowder.

In a large bowl toss the shrimp with the scallions, lime juice, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2/3 of the minced garlic.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

In a blender puree the corn with the milk.  Pour the mixture through a coarse strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.  Discard the solids.

Place a stockpot over a medium flame.  Pour in the annatto oil.  When the oil shimmers, add the onion, the bell pepper, the cumin and the remaining minced garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about five minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and cook for two more minutes.

Add the corn milk, chicken stock, plantain, cilantro and cayenne and bring to a boil.  Reduce flame to medium-low and simmer for twenty minutes.

Add the shrimp and its marinade and cook for about three minutes, until the shrimp is just opaque.  Ladle into serving bowls and top with corn salsa.

NOTES:

1 – Try instead two medium shallots; you’ll be glad you did.