Cold Southwestern Corn and Shrimp Soup: Quick, Easy & Summery for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Although we get corn throughout the year here, summer always seems like the best time to enjoy it. I was looking for a new and different cold corn soup recipe and came across this one from Martha Stewart in a "60 days of Summer" feature on her site. I liked the additions of shrimp, avocado and cherry tomatoes and how quick and simple it was to prepare, although I did take a few extra minutes to lightly blanch, drain and cool some fresh, local Kahuku corn instead of using frozen. The corn, lime, tomatoes and avocado are all locally grown.

You can find the recipe on the Martha Stewart website here.

Everyday Food says, "Using frozen corn and shrimp saves a lot of time in this no-cook soup."

Cold Southwestern Corn and Shrimp Soup

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food,June 2007

(Serves 4)

Prep Time 20 min / Total Time 20 min

4 packages (10 ounces each) frozen corn kernels, thawed (I used fresh corn)
1 cup low-fat yogurt
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened rice milk)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 or 3 limes)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch cayenne pepper
1 lb cooked frozen shrimp, thawed, roughly chopped, reserving 4 whole shrimp
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

In a blender, working in two batches, puree corn, yogurt, milk, lime juice, coriander, and cayenne. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Stir in chopped shrimp, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with tomatoes, avocado, and reserved whole shrimp.


Notes/Results: Cold and creamy with a nice, light flavor--a little sweet, a little tangy and a bit of spice (I used a large pinch of cayenne.) I think the fresh local corn adds a lot of flavor and sweetness but if it isn't available I am sure the frozen will work fine. I made just a half batch, used a low-fat Greek yogurt and since I didn't have milk in the house, I added unsweetened rice milk. (If you wanted to make it all non-dairy you could use a soy or other dairy-alternative yogurt.) I tried this soup freshly made and it was good, but even better after a few hours in the refrigerator so the flavors had a chance to blend. Fast, simple and pretty, a small bowl makes a great starter to a summer meal like tacos, or something from the grill. I would make this again.

Let's visit the Souper Sunday kitchen and see who is here this week:

My friend girlichef wrote herself into our latest Cook the Books selection "The School of Essential Ingredients" and made a gorgeous bowl of Mexican Pozolé inspired by the novel. She writes (very lyrically), "As sure as she’s sitting there, her soul is already in the kitchen…gathering, prepping, simmering the ingredients that will turn into an earthy, comforting bowl of Pozolé…she can almost feel the heat creeping up her face after she scoops up a big bite with a broken piece of tostada…the cooling garnishes giving the ultimate in contrast of flavors and textures." Read more about the book and her delicious soup on her post!

Next we welcome a couple of new faces to Souper Sundays. The first is Deepti from the blog A Hint of Spice, who joins us from Charlotte, North Carolina. Deepti has a bowl of the classic Chinese Hot and Sour Soup to share; full of veggies, spices and other good stuff. She says to "Enjoy your soup with Spring rolls or egg rolls. 'njoy!!!" Thanks for joining us this week Deepti!



Our second new face is Reshmi from the blog A Feast to the Eyes and Stomach, blogging from Germany. Reshmi says, "Ezogelin Soup is another common soup in Turkish cuisine, the main ingredients being Bulgur and red lentils. It is also the most frequently cooked soup in my home. Bulgur wheat, rich in fiber and protein has interesting natural weight-loss benefits. The origin of this soup is attributed to Ezo, the bride from Gaziantep, the sixth largest city in Turkey." Welcome Reshmi!

The talented Janet from The Taste Space is back this week with a colorful Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon. Janet says, "I love soups. I gravitate to the heavy, one-pot meal soups in the winter and to the fresh, light soups in the summer. This is one of my favourite carrot soups as it simple to make, healthy and has such complex flavours with tomato, lemon and ginger. This is not your typical carrot soup. It is bright and summery, all in a bowl! Creamy without any cream.. such bliss!"

Resourceful Zibi from Fresh Slowcooking has a creamy, flavorful Tomato Shorba soup to share this week and says, "My tomato shorba was inspired by a disappointing restaurant visit. I decided to use my slow cooker to prepare the tomato shorba I expected. I cooked fresh Roma tomatoes in a broth containing roasted cumin and coriander seeds, a hint of dried chilis and then softened it with a splash of coconut milk. An easy soup that’s full of deep, satisfying flavours."

Lee Ann from Mangos, Chili and Z made a bright and refreshing Watermelon and Feta Salad and says, "I found this recipe a couple of years ago, tweaked it a bit and now it’s my “take everywhere all Summer long” dish. I love a sweet and salty combination. When I was in my 20′s and didn’t care what I ate, I used to pile potato chips on top of a candy bar to get my sweet-salty fix…ah, those were the days. Let’s address a healthier combination, how about sweet watermelon, salty olives and creamy feta. I think you’ll find it addictive and a real crowd pleaser." Yum!

My pal Kim from Stirring the Pot has both a salad and a sandwich to share this week. About her salad she says, "I used a recipe for Chopped Salad from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. The base of the salad calls for Romaine, chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped red onion, and chopped bell pepper. Bittman's chopped salad also calls for cucumber but I left it out and chose to add blanched and chopped green beans, chopped hard-boiled egg, chopped radishes, chickpeas, and boiled and chopped new potatoes. I sprinkled the salad with sunflower seeds and topped it with a homemade creamy Italian dressing. It was delicious!"

For her sandwich, Kim tried Ellie Krieger's Ellie's Better Burger with Green Olives and says, "Ellie's burger is flavored with coarsely chopped green olives, parsley, and cumin. Not only is this a unique combination of flavors, it is delicious. The olives give the burger that briney, salty flavor while adding some extra texture and the cumin gives the burger a nice smoky flavor. I served my burger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, sliced red onion and mayo. I loved this burger. I loved it so much that I ate 2 of them!"

Some lovely soups, a couple of fresh and fabulous salads, and a juicy burger! Thanks to everyone who joined in this week. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share--just click on the Souper Sunday logo on the side bar for all of the details on how to join in.

Have a wonderful week!