creamy crab corn chowder.

Looking for something to keep warm in your crockpot or over the stove for your holiday party? I’ve got you. Sweet corn, spicy Old Bay seasoning, smoky bacon…every spoonful of this chowder will give you all the feels. It also pairs great with wine, beer, or simple cocktails. I’ve written this recipe to yield 10-12 bowls so that you don’t have to double-it for your next gathering or snowed-in weekend.

This soup is a throwback to an old favorite I used to order at Nordstrom Café with my grandparents during our annual Christmas shopping trip. Maryland blue crab is an east coast staple, but nearly impossible to get in California. If I see it in stock at Whole Foods, I grab it immediately. I got lucky last week and decided it was perfect timing to recreate this winter comfort. I hope you love it!

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Once you’ve prepped the ingredients, this soup is super easy after the first two steps. It’s also one that gets better as the flavors meld, so it will be even more delicious if you make it ahead of time and heat it up for an occasion later. Warning: your kitchen is going to smell so amazing. I dare you not to eat more than a single bowl of this stuff.

If you’ve never cooked with crabmeat before, I recommend doing a gentle search through the crabmeat to ensure there are no shells. Most crabmeat is picked by hand, so there is occasionally human error. To get the chowder started, you’re going to crisp the bacon in the dutch oven first. You’ll remove it and set it aside for later - but I love using the bacon fat as a starter for this recipe. You’re going to sauté the crab meat in it with some lemon juice and additional seasoning. Isn’t this already the best recipe ever? After quickly cooking the crab meat, you’re going remove it from the dutch oven and set that aside too. Then you’re on easy street because it’s all about adding ingredients in the right time and order from there. Bacon fat has a really low smoke point, so if you start getting a smoky kitchen - turn down your burner or take your pot off the heat completely.

Potatoes take the longest to cook, so those will go in first. If you still somehow have any liquid fat left, you can cook the potatoes in it. I did not, so I just used a small drizzle of olive oil to keep the potatoes easier to move around. After a few minutes, you’ll add the onion, garlic, and Old Bay. This is the point at which someone in your house will ask you what you’re making because it starts getting fragrant. There will inevitably be brown flecks stuck to the bottom of your pan. As long as they aren’t burned, you haven’t ruined the chowder. That’s where the flavor is hiding. When the wine hits that hot pan, it will deglaze all of that goodness and make it easy to scrape off and incorporate into liquid.

When the wine has cooked down, you’ll add the riced cauliflower (I love the nuttiness and texture it provides), fire roasted red pepper pieces, and sweet corn. Is your mouth watering yet? The final flavor punch comes when you add the crab, herbs (cutting chives over a pot of soup is sort of therapeutic), bacon, and half-and-half. All that goodness is going to simmer until it starts to thicken. It will be a creamy soup at this point. If you want it to be more of a chowder consistency, you’ll dissolve some corn starch into a cup of cold water and then add it to the soup. If you do that and it’s too thick, add some additional seafood stock to thin it out. If it isn’t thick enough, do the cornstarch step again. I prefer my chowder more of the soupy side than the goopy side, but it’s a personal preference that is easy to adjust.

Recipe

Creamy Crab
Corn Chowder

Servings: 10-12 | Prep time: 45 min | Cook time : 45 min - 1 hour

Recommended Wine Pairing

Melon de Bourgogne

INGREDIENTS

6 slices of smoked bacon, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
16 oz. jumbo lump blue crab, reserve 4-6 oz for topping
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
3 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning, adding 1 tbsp at a time
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. riced cauliflower
2/3 c. fire-roasted red pepper, chopped (these come in a jar at the grocery store!)
2 1/4 c. frozen sweet corn
3 c. seafood stock (you can sub chicken or veggie stock)
1 c. dry white wine
2 c. half and half
2 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. chives, scissor cut into small pieces
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. cold water
kosher salt + black pepper for seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a dutch oven on high heat. Add bacon pieces and cook 7 minutes or until crispy, moving constantly to avoid sticking.
Turn the heat down to medium-high and remove bacon with a slotted spoon. Set aside in a small bowl. Do not wipe out the dutch oven.
Sauté crab meat in the bacon grease with lemon juice, dijon mustard, and Old Bay seasoning for 2 minutes. Remove the crab meat and set aside in a separate bowl. [Note: I know this seems weird, but it’s a great way to start layering flavors without over cooking anything.]
Add the cubed potatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to ensure the potatoes are evenly coated.
Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, and 1 tbsp. of Old Bay seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to get translucent. There will be brown bits in the bottom of your pan, but that’s okay as long as it isn’t blackened/burned! We’ll fix it with the next step.

Deglaze the bottom of the pan by adding the white wine. With a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape those brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and stir them into the liquid.
Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the wine cooks down.
Add the seafood stock, riced cauliflower, red pepper slices and frozen corn. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Stir in the half-and-half, parsley, chives, 3/4 of the bacon, and 3/4 of the crab meat. Turn the heat down and simmering on low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
If you would like to make your soup thick like a chowder: In a measuring cup, whisk 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into 1 cup of cold water. When the cornstarch has completed dissolved, add to the soup.
Give your soup a taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or Old Bay as you like.
Serve and top with leftover crab meat and bacon.