Crab & Corn Chowder

We had a huge crab feast with my parents on New Year's Eve but we had so much crab we couldn't finish it all. Matt & my dad were nice enough to pick the remaining meat from the leftovers for me & then we froze it until ready to use. There was a lot of debate about whether we should make soup or crab cakes. I really wanted soup & since I was doing the cooking my choice won.

I'd made this Corn & Crab Chowder from Rachael Ray once before but didn't really like it. All the ingredients sounded like it should have been great. My gut feeling was the corn had freezer burn & gave the whole thing a funny flavor. So, I decided to give it another try. I figured with this beautiful crab & the sweet corn I had frozen this summer it had to be better.

I'm so glad we gave it a second chance. This soup was wonderful, creamy with a sweetness from the crab & corn & a little heat from the cayenne. The corn I had blanched & frozen in the summer kept a nice crunch in the soup instead of seeming soggy & waterlogged. If we got some good crab meat again I would make this in a heartbeat.

Crab & Corn Chowder
from Rachael Ray 365:No Repeats
(I've adjusted the recipe for a more realistic serving size)

1 T olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
1 medium potato, peeled & chopped small (1/2-inch or smaller cubes)
1 celery rib with greens, chopped
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 T Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/2 T all-purpose flour
2 T sherry
1 1/2 c chicken broth
12 oz cooked crab meat
1 c frozen corn
1 1/2 c half & half
1/4 t cayenne (or more to taste)

Heat the olive oil & butter over medium-high heat in a medium soup pot. Add the potatoes, celery, onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper & Old Bay. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes or until the vegetables start to get tender, especially the potatoes. Add the flour & cook while stirring for 1 minutes then add the sherry & cook 1 minute more. Stir in the broth, crab & corn. Bring to a boil. Cover & reduce the heat. Let simmer for about 5 more minutes. Add the half & half & allow to simmer uncovered for another couple of minutes to thicken a little. Add the cayenne & more salt & pepper if needed. Remove bay leaf & serve.

3 -4 servings (this is 1/2 the original recipe which claimed it was only 4 servings!)

We served this soup with biscuits with a little good cheddar grated into the dough. Ah, this was just a perfect dinner.