Mom's Crab and Corn Chowder

Print Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF
I don't remember what started the search for 'The' crab and corn chowder recipe, but I know I did search.  And I tried a few that looked really good.  Only one of them really satisfied what I was looking for~ creamy, thick, scrumptious and relatively easy.  Unfortunately, I pretty much lost it and couldn't remember which recipe was it.  Honestly, I think that I made some adjustments to a recipe that would make it fit into my needs.

So after again trying some of the recipes I found and not really feeling that any where 'The' recipe, I came up with my own.  And from the first attempt, it has always been a hit with my family.  Since it is a recipe I made up as I went along, the children call it Mom's Crab and Corn Chowder.



And they lament that there is never any leftovers to speak of.  At dinner one night, my daughter claimed any remaining chowder for her lunch the following day.  To her disappointment there were about two spoonfuls.



That brings me to the subject of 'servings' for this recipe.  I've never measured it so I will guestimate that is makes about 8~10 servings, which is enough for our dinner table.  The only difficult thing about making the chowder is the price of crab.  If you want to make the crab go a bit further, you could use more flour {say 1/2 cup} broth and cream to stretch it.  Also, fill in with more potatoes.  We like to keep it like this, with lots of crab though.  It's our cold weather treat!


I think one of the greatest compliments I ever received related to my cooking was from my mother-in-law about this chowder.  She's from New England so seafood is home to her.  One day when I was responsible for her meals for a few weeks, I brought some of my crab and corn chowder to her.
 A week or so later, she said, "You know, you could make that crab and corn chowder for me again sometime.  I really liked it."  From a New England gal, that was a real compliment.


Mom's Crab and Corn Chowder
4-6 new potatoes, chopped {about 2 cups}
½ c butter
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/3 c flour
2+ c chicken broth
2 c half and half
2 tsp crab seasoning {such as Old Bay}
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1~2 bay leaves
16 oz  frozen sweet corn
16 oz lump crab meat
scallions
shredded cheddar

Parboil potatoes*; immediately submerge in cold water to stop cooking.  Set aside or in the fridge until ready to add to chowder.
Melt butter in dutch oven on stove top; add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Stir in 1/3 c flour; slowly add 2 c chicken broth, whisking.  Slowly stir in 2 c half and half; season with salt, pepper, crab seasoning, cayenne, thyme, and a bay leaf.  Add parboiled potatoes, frozen corn and crab meat; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for 30-45 minutes.  Add more chicken broth to thin if needed.  Remove bay leaves before serving.  Garnish with shredded cheddar, sliced scallions and crab seasoning before serving.



~Tips and Tricks~
*To parboil, bring a pot of water to a boil, add diced potatoes and let boil for 5 minutes; rinse in cold water to completely cool and set aside til ready to use.
*To keep half n half from curdling, measure out the needed amount before you start cooking.  Let it set on the counter to warm up to room temperature.  Or at least slightly so it isn't refrigerator cold when added to the chowder.
*Since we use whole milk, I don't buy half n half.  I use a lot of whipping cream in cooking and baking.  To make half n half, I just combine equal parts of cream and whole milk.
*Fresh corn would be so delicious in this, but I make this quite often in the winter so use frozen corn.  If you make during season, I suggest fresh corn off the cob, about 3-4 cups.

26 comments:

  1. I made this recipe last night after finding it on Pinterest and it was absolutely delicious! I wasn't able to find crab at a reasonable price so I tossed in some frozen shrimp instead and it worked beautifully. Thanks for sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! I have this on our menu all the time, so it's good to know it works with something a bit more affordable than crab. Thanks for the tip!

      Delete
  2. How many servings does this yield?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Katie, I would say if you are serving this as the main course it would serve 8-10. When I make it for my family for dinner, it serves us all with a couple of us getting seconds. I usually serve some bread along side when I make a meal of it.

      If you are serving it as a first course, I would say 12-14.

      Delete
  3. Blizzard in Virginia this weekend. Made this for my boys after a day of plowing. It was great. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did too! We're just outside of DC. Stay warm.

      Delete
  4. Making this for the 3rd time as I type because it's THAT GOOD! I've used real crab, real shrimp, imitation crab, imitation lobster and a combo of 2 of the above. Absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lobster sounds amazing! Will certainly give that a try. I don't know if I've seen imitation lobster before. Is it in the seafood section or frozen?

      Delete
    2. Seafood section, usually along with imitation crab. Refrigerated, not frozen.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous4:53 PM

    I've made this several times it is excellent. When I make crab legs I save the water, I put the empty shells back in the water and boil. I then strain through a coffee filter, When cooI put into a quart container and pop in the freezer I use this as the broth for the crab corn chowder. Folks that crab broth is liquid gold

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds amazing! Will have to do this with our next batch of crab legs.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:41 PM

      You can do this with shrimp peels as well!!

      Delete
    3. I made this as well. I do the same thing with regard to leveraging crab legs for stock. I then also add a touch of crushed red pepper to pair with the sweetness of the corn. It provides a bit of zing for those interested in that.. :)

      Delete
  6. Anonymous11:09 AM

    Does this freeze well if I want to make it during the summer with fresh sweet corn but then use it in the Fall?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have not tried to freeze it but know that creamy soups and casseroles tend to separate and not freeze well.
      If you try it, please let us know the results!

      Delete
  7. Thank you for this FABULOUS recipe!! I love it so much that I often make it for company for luncheons or dinner parties. I will be making it today for my book club Christmas luncheon tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like w! It is a favorite of ours, -and we make it frequently once the cold weather hits.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous3:44 PM

    Can you use almond milk instead of half and half?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never tried, byt say you should if you use almond milk, I have cooked with almond milk before with great results, but I've only used it with sweeter things. I think it may go well with the corn. Let me know the results!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous12:17 AM

    Do you have to use sea salt or would table salt be OK?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can Certainly use table salt in place of the sea salt. The sea salt is just my preference.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous4:47 PM

    I have made this once before and it was amazing....hubby said it was the best he's ever had!! I'll be making this again for New Year's Eve but was wondering about the flour as I am now on a very low carb diet (keto). Could I leave it out and just use heavy whipping cream instead of half and half...or do you think almond flour would work instead? I am going to be subbing cauliflower florets for the potatoes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would probably work really well! You could also add in a little bit of cornstarch but I’m not certain about the calories from that. Hope it works out well!

      Delete
  11. This soup is awesome!!! My very picky husband even loved it!!! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad he liked it! It's definitely one of our family favorites. We're making it again today.

      Delete
  12. This is my go to fall/winter soup! I LOVE it. I do make it with carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli and sub cauliflower for the potatoes. I also make with almond or soy milk. It is delicious!! Thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete

Catching my breath. Be back ASAP.