If you can get to Bartlett's Farm before 9am, you'll have your pick of the corn. After 9am, you'll have everyone else's rejects. This is true of most good things on Nantucket, but especially true of Bartlett's corn in August.
This chowder celebrates that corn—sweet, milky, and so fresh the kernels burst when you bite them. It's summer in a bowl, the kind of recipe that makes you sad when September comes.
The Ingredient
Bartlett's Farm has been growing vegetables on Nantucket since 1843—seven generations of the same family working the same land. Their corn is legendary, picked at peak sweetness and sold the same day. The sugars in corn start converting to starch the moment it's picked, which is why farm-stand corn tastes completely different from supermarket corn.
Get there early. Buy more than you think you need. And whatever you don't use for chowder, eat straight off the cob with butter and salt.
Where to Source
- Bartlett's Farm (33 Bartlett Farm Road) — The only choice for this recipe. Open daily 7:30am-6pm in summer.
- While you're there: Grab potatoes, onions, and fresh thyme too. Their prepared foods section has everything else you might need.
Ingredients
- Fresh corn on the cob 8 ears
- Bacon, diced 4 strips
- Unsalted butter 3 tbsp
- Yellow onion, diced 1 large
- Celery, diced 2 stalks
- Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed small 1 lb
- Chicken or vegetable stock 4 cups
- Fresh thyme 4 sprigs
- Heavy cream 1 cup
- Fresh chives, chopped 2 tbsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the corn from the cobs. Stand each ear upright in a large bowl and slice downward to remove kernels. Then—this is key—use the back of your knife to scrape the cobs, pressing out the milky liquid. This "corn milk" adds incredible sweetness and body to the chowder. Save the cobs.
- Make corn stock. Place the scraped cobs in a pot, cover with the chicken stock, and simmer for 15 minutes. This extracts extra corn flavor. Strain and discard cobs.
- Cook the bacon. In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Build the base. Add butter to the bacon fat. Sauté onion and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and corn stock. Add thyme sprigs. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the corn. Stir in corn kernels and all that milky liquid you scraped. Cook for just 5 minutes—you want the corn tender but still bright and sweet, not mushy.
- Finish with cream. Remove thyme sprigs. Stir in cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. The corn and bacon provide a lot of flavor, so taste before adding salt.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls, top with reserved bacon and fresh chives. A pat of butter on top never hurt anyone.
Sally's Tips
Don't skip scraping the cobs. I know it seems fussy, but that milky liquid is where the magic lives. It thickens the chowder naturally and adds a sweetness you can't get any other way. My grandmother called it "corn cream" and she'd scold anyone who threw it away.
Serve With
- Crusty bread or cornbread
- Simple green salad
- Grilled shrimp or lobster to make it a main course
- Cold Cisco beer on a hot day
The Story
Bartlett's Farm is Nantucket. Since 1843, the family has been growing vegetables in the sandy soil of the island's interior, learning what works and what doesn't, passing knowledge from generation to generation.
In summer, the farm becomes a pilgrimage site for island cooks. You'll see everyone there—year-rounders, summer people, chefs from the best restaurants—all chasing the same thing: produce so fresh it still has dirt on it.