crab chowder

This post comes to you courtesy of a blogging event called Taste & Create, where participating bloggers are paired up and given the task of creating one dish from his or her partner's blog. Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed by all the cooking possibilities. Cupcakes? Crumbles? Quiche? How can I choose? So I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to have my options narrowed to the recipes on just one person's blog.


I was paired up with Terry from Seduction Meals and I chose to recreate her recipe for lobster and corn chowder. Actually, I made a crab chowder because fresh Dungeness crab was available and the box of frozen lobster was really expensive. This was the first time I had ever made a chowder completely from scratch and I was thrilled with the result. I like chowders in general, but this one is particularly good because you can actually taste all of the individual ingredients you are supposed to taste, from the chives to the celery to the seafood. That makes it a winner in my book, but an added bonus is that the broth is rich but not heavy. This chowder has a smooth (seductive, even) consistency and isn't gloppy like many other chowders. Thanks to Terry for her terrific spin on the original recipe, and to Nicole at For the Love of Food for hosting this event. You'll find the recipe below as I put it together.

Crab Chowder
Adapted from this recipe by Terry at Seduction Meals; based on a Williams-Sonoma recipe
Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups of free-range, organic chicken broth
1 cup of clam juice
3 ears of corn, kernels removed
3 strips of bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of sherry
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/2 pound fresh Dungeness crab meat, picked apart to remove shells

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth, clam juice, and sherry to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 25-30 minutes.

In a stock pot over medium heat, saute bacon, stirring occasionally until crispy and browned, 3 - 4 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, and corn kernels and saute stirring until vegetables are tender, 5-10 minutes.

Add the chicken broth mixture, chives, thyme, and cream to the stock pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in the potatoes, return to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Season the chowder to taste and then stir in the crab meat. Remove the chowder from the burner as soon as the crab has heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.