February 11, 2010

We had some friends over and I had been craving some crab chowder.  I made this recipe last year and thought of ways to improve it.

Crab-Sweet Corn Chowder

3 cups frozen whole kernel corn
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 (29 oz) can chicken broth
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
2 medium potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper or yellow pepper, or green pepper
12 oz crab meat

In a 2 qt sauce pan, cook 1 1/2 cup of the whole kernel corn, the onion, and garlic in hot cooking oil until the onion is tender.
Carefully add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in whipping cream, salt, white pepper, and Old Bay and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. *Watch carefully because it can boil over and burn.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook potato, red pepper, and 1/2 cup of the corn in salted water until done.  *Note, the potato and corn will talk longer than the pepper to cook so add the pepper when the potatoes are almost done.
Add the soup, the potatoes, peppers, and corn to a blender and puree until smooth
Return to soup pot and add remaining corn and bring back to a warm temperature.
Add the crab and stir thoroughly.
Garnish with parsley or strips of pepper and serve with warm bread and a salad.

This is not a quick soup so allow time to cook it.  You can easily double this recipe and freeze it.