Lobster Wonton and Corn Chowder

Home made wontons filled with lobster and gently cooked in a delicious fresh corn chowder! 

Lobster and corn are so delicious together and evoke memories of summer seafood boils. Fortunately, you can make this soup any time of the year if you have access to either fresh or frozen corn on the cob.

To Make the Wontons:

For this soup, you wrap shredded cooked lobster in wonton or dumpling wrappers with nothing more than lemon juice and salt. To shred the lobster, you can either chop it finely with a knife or pulse it a few times in a food processor. 

I used dumpling/gyoza wrappers for the wontons because I wanted the round shape, but you can use square wonton wrappers if that's what's available. 

I placed two teaspoons of the shredded lobster in the center of the wrapper, dabbed the rim with water, folded the wrapper in half, and pressed the edges together, making sure to press out any air. 

You can assemble these wontons while your corn soup is cooking and finish them in the simmering soup once it is ready. You can also make and freeze these assembled wontons to use later. 

How to Make the Corn Chowder:

First, strip corn kernels from five corn cobs, setting the kernels aside. Boil the cobs in water, along with aromatics such as onion, lemongrass, and garlic. 

Once you've extracted all of the flavor from the corn cobs, strain the broth, add half of the kernels plus some chopped potatoes and curry powder, and cook the mixture for about ten minutes. 

After that, puree the mixture with an immersion blender. My favorite is the Braun Multiquick 5. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend the soup in batches in a stand blender and return it to the pot. 

Add the rest of the corn kernels and the lobster wontons and simmer about five minutes to cook the wrappers. 

Tips for Making this Lobster Wonton and Corn Chowder:

For the lemongrass: 

Because lemongrass comes with quite a few stalks in a bundle, and most recipes don't call for very much, I trim off the woody part of the lemongrass, remove the outer leaves, and then freeze pieces, usually about four to six inches long, to use in future recipes. There is no need to thaw if you are adding it to stews, soups, or braises. 

For leftovers: 

This soup serves eight to twelve depending on whether or not you are serving it as a main course or as part of a multi-course meal. The soup, as made, is not well-suited for leftovers and is best served immediately. The wontons will soften and disintigrate after sitting in the chowder overnight. 

Not all is lost! For a work-around, you can save the corn chowder separately, and keep the extra wontons in the freezer. Just measure out the amount of soup and wontons you want to serve before simmering the wontons in the soup. 

For the Curry Powder:

Curry powder is a generic term for a blend of spices. For this recipe, look for a blend that features turmeric. The brand I used was a "Madras-style," and included turmeric, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, pepper, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, anise, and mustard. You don't need all of these ingredients as long as there's turmeric. 

For the Potato:

I used a really small Idaho potato, but a Yukon Gold potato would work as well. Just make sure you keep the amount to just one cup so that the broth is not too thick. 

To Strip the Corn from the Cobs:

The OXO Corn Prep Peeler is the bomb. Ever since I got this thing, stripping corn from cobs has been so easy. It's actually fun to use. No more corn kernels flying all over the kitchen. I swear, OXO has no idea how much I love this kitchen tool. 

Garnish this soup with chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions, and serve it with lime wedges on the side. 

For the Lobster:

I bought a couple of lobster tails at Costco and steamed them until they were opaque and then chilled the meat for these wontons. You could easily substitute good canned lobster meat. It's just as luxurious. 

Quality canned crab meat found in the refrigerator section of your Costco or grocery store would also work beautifully in these wontons. Actually, so would fully cooked shrimp, which is much more economical. 

If you go out for a lobster dinner, bring home your leftover lobster meat and repurpose it for this soup! 

If you're on a tight budget, you could totally use surimi/imitation lobster. You could also just make the chowder. It's delicious on its own and not very fussy to make. 

More Amazing Corn Soups:

Chicken and Corn Soup

Corn Soup with Seared Scallops

Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Corn Soup

Beer and Smoked Sausage Corn Chowder

Welcome to another Fish Friday Foodies! Our theme this month is seafood soups and our host is Stacy of Food Lust People Love, one of my favorite food bloggers. 

Be sure to check out everyone's soups with seafood!!

• Cajun Crab Shrimp Corn Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Lobster Wonton and Corn Chowder from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Salmon Chowder from Making Miracles
• Shrimp Fra Diavolo Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Shrimp Ramen from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• White Hot & Sour Chicken & Prawn Soup from Sneha’s Recipe

Lobster Wonton and Corn Chowder

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 30 M

Home made wontons filled with lobster and gently cooked in a delicious fresh corn chowder!

Ingredients

For the Chowder

• 5 large or 6 small ears of corn
• 1 medium brown or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 trimmed lemongrass stalk, chopped
• 1/2 head of garlic, sliced in half widthwise, no need to peel
• 2 quarts water
• 1- 14 to 15 ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup (140 grams) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice Idaho or Yukon Gold potato.
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
• Two scallions, thinly sliced
• Lime wedges

For the Wontons

• 10 ounces cooked lobstser meat, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt
• 24 to 28 dumpling or wonton wrappers

Instructions

To Make the Chowder

1. Cut the kernels from the cobs and set the kernels aside. Place the cobs, onions, lemongrass, and garlic into a 6 quart saucepan or Dutch oven and add the water.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for one hour.
3. Using tongs, remove the corn cobs from the pot and discard. Skim out all of the rest of the solids (onion, lemongrass, and garlic) with a skimmer or a fine mesh sieve.
4. Stir in the coconut milk, half of the corn kernels, the diced potato, and the curry powder. Return to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes. The potatoes should be fully cooked and tender.
5. Turn off the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender until very smooth. You can also use a stand blender by blending it in batches.
6. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Don't skimp.
7. Add the rest of the corn kernels. Bring the soup back to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the wontons and simmer for about 5 minutes.
8. Serve with the cilantro, scallions, and lime wedges.

To Make the Wontons

1. Stir together the lobster meat, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl.
2. Working with one wonton/dumpling wrapper at a time, place two teaspoons of the lobster in the center.
3. Dip your finger into a bowl of water and spread the water around the rim of the wrapper. Draw the center of both halves of the wrapper together and seal, and then seal the wrapper all around to form a half moon.
4. Press out any excess air.
5. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and lobster meat.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

348.96

Fat (grams)

12.37

Sat. Fat (grams)

7.25

Carbs (grams)

53.66

Fiber (grams)

3.63

Net carbs

50.02

Sugar (grams)

4.72

Protein (grams)

9.65

Sodium (milligrams)

828.56

Cholesterol (grams)

5.61

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2022/01/lobster-wonton-and-corn-chowder.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

lobster, dumplings, wontons, seafood

Soup

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @karenskitchenstories.com on instagram and hashtag it #karenskitchenstories

This recipe was adapted from Hey There Dumpling: 100 Recipes for Dumplings, Buns, Noodles, and other Asian Treats. I highly recommend this book, especially if you love learning about all of the techniques for making Asian-style dumplings.