Corn and Crab Chowder

I have to cook dinner tonite at a mid mountain lodge with no running water and very little electricity. After dinner we get to ski down the mountain under a full moon. It's 6 below zero right now and tonite promises to be a chilly one.  We will have this thick rich chowder as a first course and belly warmer. It makes a great winter lunch with crusty bread.

When making almost any soup its important not to get stuck on the exact recipe. It's the technique that will carry the day. If I use 32 ounces of stock and you only have 28 ounces it's OK. Adjust-- it's soup not chemistry. Add a little water, use more/less potatoes. Taste along the way and make it the way you like it.  Cook with confidence.

Corn & Crab Chowder

Set oven @ 375   60 minutes total time   40 minutes active time   yields 3 quarts   Costs less than $12.00

You will need a 4qt heavy bottomed pot, a 2qt pot, 2 sheet pans, a steel bow, whisk, mesh strainer

• 2 onions, small dice about 2 cups
• 4 celery stalks, peeled, small dice about 1 cup
• 1/2 bag of fresh spinach, stemmed and rough chop
• pinch of thyme, fresh or dried
• 1 1/2 lbs of red potatoes 1/2 inch dice more or less
• 32 ounces total of clam broth
• 1 lb good frozen corn, about 3 cups
• as much good frozen crab as you can afford. 2 cups is good start. Shrimp or lobster are good substitutions
• 1 1/2 cups cream, milk
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup of flour depending of how thick you want your chowder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In your smaller pot cook your potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and layout on sheet pan to cool. Put corn on a greased sheet pan, season with a little sea salt and roast in oven about 10 minutes. In the larger 4qt pot sweat the onions in a little veg oil. Season with a little salt. Add the celery and chopped spinach to the onions and continue to sweat until celery is translucent. Season with a little salt and a pinch of thyme. Add 24 ounces of clam broth to onions and bring to boil, then back to a simmer. In steel bowl mix flour and remaining 8 ounces of clam broth into a slurry. Pour the slurry thru the mesh strainer into the simmering broth whisking all the time. Soup will thicken after a minute or so. Remove from heat add cream, add corn, add potatoes and add sea salt after you taste it. Soup is better the next day but this one is good right now.

Comments

[D Rubin]

Gerry, when do you add the crab? I've got to try this bad boy this weekend!

[Gerry Nooney]

Dave

Good luck with the soup. You can add the crab at the very end or warm it up separately and add a spoonful into the center