5strips thick-cut baconchopped, or cut into pieces
1smallonionpeeled and chopped
2small to medium sizedcarrotspeeled and diced
2stalkscelerydiced
2 to 3clovesgarlicminced
4cups (1 quart)chicken broth*+ more if needed
1cupheavy cream
2cupsyellow corn kernelsfresh or frozen
2 largepotatoes peeled and diced; we used Russet
1lb.Lobster meat cooked; defrosted if frozen
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2tablespoonssalted buttermelted, optional
chives or parsleyfinely diced
Instructions
Sauté bacon in large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. If you are concerned with the amount of bacon fat in your pot, pour off and discard all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pot.
Add in the onions, carrots and celery to pot; sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two. Pour in the chicken broth, heavy cream, corn and potatoes. Mix together and bring to a boil and then reduce to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add in the cooked lobster and the bacon (reserve some to garnish at the end if you'd like) and let cook/simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir, taste, season with salt and pepper. If you feel like your soup needs to be thicker, you can mix in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, or use a cornstarch slurry**. (See note below) We didn't need this but you can certainly do this to thicken. Mix into the chowder and let simmer for another few minutes.
Ladle chowder into bowls. Garnish each serving with more lobster pieces if desired (If you do this, I highly recommend drizzling the some melted butter over the lobster) bacon bits, and chives or parsley and serve! Enjoy!
Notes
To cut down on prep time, use cooked lobster meat, available in some fish markets, supermarkets and online. *You can also use fish stock, seafood broth or fish broth. **Remove a few tablespoons of the soup from the pot and add in the flour or cornstarch. Mix together until dissolved and smooth and then mix back into the soup.