Chilled Corn Soup

Large blue-grey bowl with corn soup and cream.

5 from 2 votes. Tap stars to vote

A unique and refreshing way to enjoy summer sweet corn. New England Chilled Corn Soup is easy to make and can be enjoyed for lunch or as a casual summer dinner.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Chilling Time4

Total Time4 50

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Make-Ahead Lunch, Soup, Summer

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Nancy Mock

Equipment

Soup pot or Dutch oven
Blender or food processor
Fine mesh strainer

Ingredients

6 ears sweet corn, shucked
2½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup diced shallots (from 1 large or 2 medium shallots)
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
4 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup half and half
optional toppings, such as chopped fresh herbs like dill, basil, chives, or thyme, croutons, or chopped, cooked bacon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the corn:

For the 6 ears sweet corn, shucked: slice the corn kernels off the cobs; here's how:
Hold an ear of corn on its flat end on a plate (to catch the kernels and juices) and have a sharp knife ready. Slice from the tip down to the bottom, with the knife slicing behind the kernels to remove them from the cob.
Rotate the cob and continue slicing down until all the corn is removed. Repeat this process with the rest of the ears of corn.

Sauté:

Choose a large pot or Dutch oven. Pour in the 2½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Slide the corn kernels and any juices from the cutting board, ½ cup diced shallots, and a ¼ teaspoon of the salt into the pot. Stir to coat everything with the oil.
Sauté everything for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots begin to soften and look translucent.

Simmer:

Pour in the 4 cups vegetable stock. Switch the heat to high, give everything a stir, then bring the soup to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low to keep the soup at a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Blend:

Carefully pour the hot soup into a blender or food processor. Wipe out the soup pot and hold it aside.
Cover the blender or processor but keep the top vented to let the steam escape, and cover the hole with a thick, clean kitchen towel.
Blend the soup on high for several minutes, checking it periodically, until the soup is as smooth as possible. There will still be corn bits, but just blend until they're as small as possible.
Note: you can try using an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot, but I had better success and smoother soup with a blender.

Strain:

Set a fine mesh strainer over the soup pot. Pour the blended soup into the strainer: the corn solids will stay behind in the strainer and the smooth soup will pass through. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to press and stir the corn solids until all of the liquid is out.
Note: The corn solids (or corn mush) can be saved in the freezer to use as a thickener in soups or to add flavor to cornbread and casseroles.

Chill:

Stir the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt into the smooth soup, and stir it through. Cover the pot and place it in the fridge. Chill the soup for four hours or overnight, until it's completely cold.

Add the cream:

Take the soup from the fridge and stir in the ¼ cup half and half. Taste the soup and add a pinch or two more of salt if it needs it.

Serve:

Ladle soup into serving bowls, and garnish them with optional toppings, such as chopped fresh herbs like dill, basil, chives, or thyme, croutons, or chopped, cooked bacon.
Serve the soup immediately and enjoy the refreshing flavor!
Makes about 4½ cups of soup.

OPTION: Add texture

To give the finished soup a little texture, reserve a cup or so of corn kernels after simmering the soup. Blend the rest of the soup and strain. Stir the reserved corn kernels back into the soup and then chill.

Store:

Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

While I prefer to use fresh ears of sweet corn, if none are available you can also make this soup with canned or frozen corn kernels. Let frozen kernels thaw first.

Nutrition