Corn Chowder

…with a cheeky bit of lobster. I’d planned to add smoked haddock to this comforting chunky soup, but the fishmonger was “all out, so what about a lovely cooked lobster instead?” I’m glad he persuaded me, as it was a fine addition to a dish that was already luxurious, despite the lack of cream. Having said that, I do think serving the chowder with a dollop of crème fraîche would be a nice touch, adding some welcome acidity to offset the sweetness of the corn.

• 2 onions, peeled and diced in 1cm or so pieces
• 4 waxy potatoes, peeled and diced in 1cm or so pieces
• 30g butter
• 1.5l whole milk
• 6 cobs of corn – this needs to be as fresh as possible, still in the husk. I know that’s only possible for a month or two each year, but it is worth waiting I think.
• A small lobster, cooked
• 2 bay leaves
• A small bunch of basil
• A small bunch of thyme – preferably lemon thyme
• 6 tablespoons crème fraîche – optional extra which I didn’t have when I made it

Sweat the onions gently in the butter in a large saucepan. Once translucent and starting to turn golden, add the milk and simmer slowly, together with the diced potatoes. Extract the lobster meat from the shell and add the larger pieces of shell – that you’ll be able to find and retrieve later – to the milky onions. Chop the lobster into similar sized chunks to the diced potatoes and keep in the fridge till later.

Shuck the corn and cut the kernels off the cobs carefully, holding vertically over the chopping board. It helps if you loop a rolled tea towel around the board to catch stray corn, as it flies everywhere. Add the cobs to the pot, plus about 1/3 of the corn, the bay leaves and thyme, to cook and let the favours infuse. Season generously. Turn off the heat when the potatoes are cooked after around 15-20 minutes.

When the soup has cooled, fish out the cobs, herbs and shells; hopefully minus their flavour which remains. Take out half the solids with a slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl whilst you use a hand blender to whizz the soup to a creamy consistency. Bring back to a simmer with the remaining corn, which should be just cooked after no more than five minutes if it is fresh enough. Add back the reserved vegetables and most of the lobster to heat through. Stir in the basil just before you serve, with the blob of crème fraîche – if you’re using it – and divide the remaining lobster between the bowls. Serves 6.