Cod and sweetcorn chowder

A coastal-style chowder with cod, sweetcorn and a soft potato base.

By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes

What still needs a real kitchen

Confirm the potatoes are tender in 12 to 15 minutes
Photograph the finished bowls

Time: About 40 min; estimated
Serves: 2; see below
Energy: 370 kcal; per serving
Protein: 34 g; per serving

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Not yet photographed. The panel names the dish’s main ingredients rather than showing a picture we have not taken.

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 servings

Check off ingredients as you go.

5 ml olive oil
80 g leek, trimmed, washed and sliced
250 g potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm dice
300 ml vegetable stock, ready to use
250 ml milk, semi-skimmed (2%)
120 g sweetcorn, tinned, drained, drained
280 g cod, skinless, cut into large pieces
5 g chives, finely chopped

Contains fish, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:

vegetable stock. Vegetable stock often contains celery, and some contain milk or gluten; check the label, especially if you need it vegan.

Cooking steps

Warm the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the leek for 6 minutes, until soft.
Add the potatoes and stock and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until tender.
Crush about a third of the potatoes against the side of the pan with a fork and stir them back in, which thickens the chowder without cream.
Pour in the milk and bring it to a bare simmer, then add the sweetcorn and the cod. Cook gently for 5 to 6 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes.
Cooked when: 63°C / 145°F, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Scatter the chives over and serve.

The useful detail

Mash some potato to thicken the chowder without extra cream. The starch does the work, and the soup keeps tasting of fish and sweetcorn rather than dairy.

Make it work for you

One serving is A large bowl, half the pan. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.

Haddock instead of cod
Finer flakes, and the same safe endpoint.
Per serving: about 10 kcal less, about 2 g less protein, about the same fat.
Frozen sweetcorn
Add it straight from frozen with the milk. Nutrition is not recalculated for this swap.
Unsweetened soya milk
A thinner chowder.
Per serving: about 15 kcal less, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Allergens: Adds soya; removes milk.

Estimated nutrition

Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.

A milky fish soup that eats as a meal. Cod is a white fish, so nearly all of its energy is protein.

Nutrition per serving
Energy	370 kcal
Protein	34 g
Fat	7 g
of which saturates	2 g
Carbohydrate	44 g
of which sugars	13 g
Fibre	5 g
Sodium	710 mg

Show calculation notes

Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.

Calculation, whole recipe
Ingredient	Weight used	Source	Energy	Protein
olive oil	4.5 g	FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking	40 kcal	0.0 g
leek	80 g	FDC 169246Leeks, (bulb and lower leaf-portion), raw	49 kcal	1.2 g
potatoes	250 g	FDC 170026Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw	193 kcal	5.1 g
vegetable stock	295 g	FDC 171583Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve	15 kcal	0.7 g
milk	260 g	FDC 171267Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D	129 kcal	8.5 g
sweetcorn	120 g	FDC 169214Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, whole kernel, drained solids	80 kcal	2.7 g
cod	280 g	FDC 171955Fish, cod, Atlantic, raw	230 kcal	49.9 g
chives	5 g	FDC 169994Chives, raw	2 kcal	0.2 g
Whole recipe		Divided by 2	737 kcal	68.3 g

Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.

Storage and reheating

In the fridge: Cool it quickly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. The FDA chart gives soups and stews 3 to 4 days. The potatoes keep absorbing liquid, so it thickens overnight.
In the freezer: The same chart gives soups and stews 2 to 3 months in the freezer for best quality.
Reheating: Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout, stirring so it heats evenly.

Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.

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