I don’t remember being a “Chowder” fan until I discovered this Crab and Corn chowder recipe. It’s a bowl of bliss and it’s my kind of comfort food which is warm and hearty packed with flavors.
The bland taste of chowder is probably the one reason I was never fond of this, but this recipe is spicy and zesty. The ancho chiles give it that spicy flavor which comes out distinctly with every bite you take.
Crisping the bacon is absolutely essential because it adds that extra texture to the otherwise smooth chowder. Use the same skillet which you used to crisp the bacon to sauté your vegetables and make sure you don’t take them too far, because you don’t want them to become soggy.
Pour the chicken stock over your vegetables and make sure you’re continuously whisking or you’ll have lumps in your stock from the sprinkled flour. Once you have a clear mixture ready add in your potatoes. Make sure you cut them in small pieces or it’ll take forever for them to cook through.
Get you ancho chiles ready and when your soup reaches the boiling point add in this paste and stir it into your soup alongside adding your crab. Your soup will be ready to serve when the potatoes are al dente.
Top with cream, Worcestershire sauce, fresh pepper, parsley, and salt if required. To make it really hearty I love coupling it with cheesy garlic bread which I dip into the soup and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 dried ancho chiles, seeded
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced in ½” pieces
- 5 ears corn, husked and kernels removed
- 2 T all-purpose flour
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced in ½” cubes
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 t Old Bay spice
- 1 t Spanish paprika
- 2 t Worcestershire sauce
- 2 t salt
- 1 pound canned lump crab (unless you are lucky enough to have fresh)
- 1 cup cream
- 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
- lime squeezes
Directions
- 1Put the ancho chiles in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- 2Cook the bacon over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot until crisp. Remove the bacon and let drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Set aside.
- 3Saute the onions and garlic in the residual bacon grease for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the celery and carrots and sauté over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and corn and sauté another 5 minutes.
- 4Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stirring over medium high heat. Cook 3 – 4 minutes until the flour bubbles and begins to brown. Whisk in the chicken stock and add potatoes, Old Bay and Spanish paprika, and bring to a boil.
- 5While the soup is coming to a boil, remove the ancho chiles from the bowl and put them in a food processor or blender. Whirl to chop and add ¼ cup hot water and whirl again. Add the chile puree to soup. When pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium/low, add crab and simmer until potatoes are al dente.
- 6When the potatoes are done add cream and season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, fresh cracked pepper and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- 7Serve in individual bowls with lime wedges and garnish with crumbled bacon. I recommend serving with big hunks of crusty garlic bread.
