There are many different recipes for corn soup today, but no matter how delicious they are, it’s good to have something more hearty to serve with the soup that can bring out the flavor well. So what to serve with corn chowder?
Our favorite side dishes to serve with Corn Chowder include crispy fresh lettuce, steamed vegetables, beer-battered onion rings, various cold cuts and bread, cornbread, and a grilled melted cheese sandwich.
In this article, we will look at what corn soup is made of and give you some basic rules for combining flavors so that you can easily pair dishes and choose the right side dish for yourself. Other than that, we’ll also discuss our favorite side dishes for corn soup and why they complement each other’s flavors the best.
Ingredients for Corn Chowder
If you’re not familiar with corn chowder, it’s basically a textured soup or chowder. The main ingredient is corn, which can be fresh (raw on the cob), grains in brine (canned), or creamed corn.
The type of corn needed depends entirely on the recipe, however, they are all interchangeable for corn chowder. The chowder gets its creamy texture either from a can of creamy corn or from the addition of fresh cream.
Other ingredients that are very commonly used are onion, celery, and oil, as well as a seasoning mix.
Additional and optional ingredients for making more interesting versions of the classic corn chowder include potatoes, bacon or other cured meats, chicken, and sometimes even seafood.
Corn soup isn’t as versatile as something more neutral like bread, so it’s important to make sure the additional ingredients match and/or complement the creamy corn flavor.
How to Pair Side Dishes with Corn Chowder
You can learn how to combine food with your own experience, and no cheat sheet can replace it. However, it doesn’t hurt to have it as a guide!
The number one rule for beginners when pairing dishes with a side dish or garnish is to look for similar ingredients.
For example, if your corn chowder contains bacon, then crispy bacon bits make a great side dish. If the corn chowder contains cheese, then you can eat cheese bread as a side dish.
The second rule is to use subtle ingredients in the accompanying dish. The accompaniment or side dish should not distract from the main dish (in this case, corn chowder).
Because corn soup is usually very bland, avoid spicy ingredients (such as truffles).
Choose Starch! Starch is always a good addition to any dish, as it has a very neutral flavor that is always able to enhance the taste of the main dish.
You can use vegetable starch such as potatoes (prepared in a variety of ways), grain starch such as rice, or bread such as tortillas.
The last rule, which is more of advice, is to stick with classic flavor combinations if you are unsure or new to food pairings. There are many different articles available to help you with basic flavor pairing.
What To Serve With Corn Chowder? – 7 best side dishes
Now that we’ve covered the basics of flavor pairing, here are our favorite toppings and toppings for corn chowder.
You will see that some of them are out of the ordinary, while others are more traditional. Be sure to try them all. You may find a new favorite dish!
1. Salad
Let’s start with a light accompaniment: salad. Refreshing salad is a great healthy side dish for corn chowder.
You can make almost any salad you want. However, we recommend staying away from ingredients that are overly sweet, which may conflict with the sweetness of your corn soup.
Ingredients that will complement this sweetness are olives, feta, avocado, and sour salad dressing like vinaigrette.
Flavors that are the opposite of sweet, like salty or even sour, go great together – that’s why Sea Salt Chocolate is the way to go!
The salad is easy to make and as varied as the chowder itself! It will also give amazing texture contrast, making for an interesting and balanced plate.
2. Stewed vegetables
Steamed vegetables are another great addition to corn chowder. In addition to being very healthy, they can also be a way to add color and texture to a basic chowder.
One of our favorite vegetables in corn chowder is steamed broccoli stalks. If cooked for the right time, the broccoli stalks will be cooked but still crunchy, perfect for a more interesting base corn soup.
3. Onion rings in beer batter
What could be better than freshly made crispy onion rings in beer batter? Answer: Only when you serve them with corn chowder.
Beer-battered onion rings are the perfect way to make your corn chowder taste even more delicious. Apart from the crispy crust and thus the texture, you can easily change the taste of the whole dish depending on the type of beer used.
The taste is very complex but goes well with almost any dish, including corn chowder. Did we mention they are also great for dipping into chowder?
4. Sausage and jerky
You can use a wide variety of cured and smoked meats inside, on top, or on the side of the corn chowder.
The possibilities are endless, and the reason these meats are so good is that they add a whole new flavor to your corn soup.
For example, use chorizo (spicy Italian sausage) inside or on top of corn chowder for a spicy version.
You can also cook a whole side dish with sausage. For example, cook a smoked vein hot dog or grilled cheese pie.
It may seem like corn chowder has faded into the background, but where is the rule written that you can’t have two main courses? Nowhere! This is why corn chowder is such a great dish because it fits easily into any type of meal.
5. Grilled cheese
Yes, we said it: a grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect accompaniment to creamy corn soup, especially one that already has cheese in it.
With the creaminess of corn chowder and the tenderness of grilled cheese, they create the perfect combination of texture and flavor without overpowering each other.
Not to mention that from the sandwich itself, you can dip it into the stew … fantastic, isn’t it?
6. Bread with a crispy crust
What did we say in the rules above? Starch, starch, and more starch!
Bread is one of the best types of starch to use as a side dish. Bread comes in a variety of flavors, from spicy sourdough dough to sweet brioches.
Whatever your choice, they will all work incredibly well. Bread also doubles as a side dish, as it is often used as a serving vessel, and corn chowder is no exception.
The bread (starch) helps enhance the flavor of the corn chowder and also adds some extra texture that may be lacking.
Bread with a crispy crust, such as ciabatta, sourdough, or baguette, will absorb the flavor and still be crispy.
7. Cornbread or cake
Yes, we know corn with corn sounds like too much corn, but this combination works surprisingly well, which is probably why it still exists.
The reason cornbread and corn soup go well together is that they have opposite flavor profiles.
While corn soup is creamy and sweet, cornbread is usually salty and dry, making them the perfect pairing.
The difference in texture and taste is similar to the combination of two other dishes.
The best side dishes to serve with Corn Chowder
Now that you know our favorite side dishes, it’s time to take a look at some of our favorite side dishes.
You can only use them if you want to serve the chowder on its own or just want to add something else.
- Sliced chili makes an interesting side dish with a rich flavor. You can use any kind of chili you like. Our favorite is the bird’s eye red chili as it gives good color contrast.
- Shredded bacon is another great side dish, especially if you already have it in the recipe (if it’s not included in the recipe, add some; no, seriously, add some now). The saltiness of the smoked bacon is a great way to bring out the sweetness and creaminess of the chowder.
- Croutons are a great way to add crunch and use old stale bread. Of course, you can also buy ready-made flavored croutons, but they are very easy to make and a great way to use up old bread.
- Instead of croutons, you can also use crushed tortilla chips, pretzels, bread sticks, crackers, or nacho chips. We have only one word for that: innovative!