Saturday, January 10, 2009

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.
Crab & Corn Chowder
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.
Crab & Corn Chowder
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.

19 comments:

Stacey Snacks said...

Gorgeous crab meat!
I never thought to freeze it.
Now I want some crab cakes, which I usually make in the summer.
The corn chowder works for me!

Finla said...

Yummy delicious. Looks so warm and realy colforting bowl of chowder.
Excelent for these cold evenings.

Leslie said...

A crab feast???? Oh I would b in heaven!

Nonna Rose said...

Looks and sounds like a wonder winter meal, one I will have to try. Hubby loves crab!

Stephen Gross said...

Would you be interested in organizing a Mpls potluck sometime? There are a bunch of HVF folks here in the Twin Cities who love your recipes!

--Steve (mrstevegross@gmail.com)

Stephen Gross
Minneapolis, MN

Lori said...

I cant even imagine leftover crab. Its my favorite seafood. This soup sounds delish Kat!

Sharon said...

Next time you have leftover crab feel free to send some my way! :) This looks absolutely amazing.

Unknown said...

My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures of this. if I get to a place where i can get good crab this will definitely be on my table.

Anonymous said...

Dear God this looks amazing! And with Mn sweetcorn? I am dying here. Dying.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Hmmm - I have a tub of crab meat in the freezer - I think I know what it is destined to become!

grace said...

crab isn't something i get excited about, but come on--a chowder is a chowder and is not to be ignored.

Maris said...

That crab meat looks heavenly! I had chicken and corn chowder tonight but it actually wasn't too good. I MUST try this recipe though - sounds so fresh and tasty.

Anonymous said...

This looks fantastic- lunchtime is approaching here & I'm droolin'....!!

Peter M said...

Despite this being an RR dish, it looks freakin' delish...me want some now.

Anonymous said...

Looks so nice... It sounds like the cayenne plays the part of the all-important secret ingredient.

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

This bowl looks just about perfect to me! Crab, corn. . .cayenne, and I'm in heaven. (Did that rhyme?)

Anonymous said...

Hi

2TBLS Sherry, is that dry sherry or sweet sherry.

kat said...

Anonymous - I would use a dry sherry

Laura K. Curtis said...

Thank you for posting this...I made it tonight and it was FABULOUS. We still have another night's worth left (there are only two of us) and I imagine it will be even better tomorrow!

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