As a family living in the Bay Area, the Cherryvale Farms team are, like many other locals, devout crab eaters of the dungeness variety.
When such a fantastic little creature can be caught right off the wharf just a short bike ride or drive from our home, it’s hard not to fall in love with this local crustacean favorite.
Last week we celebrated the holidays with a big crab feed – complete with drawn butter, garlic bread and some crispy potato wedges. It was a truly fun meal made even more enjoyable by the butcher paper table cloth and free flowing cocktails.
Even after our party devoured their lot, we were still left with a nice little mountain of crab to eat so a crab and corn chowder immediately came to mind. It’s easy to make, packs tons of flavor, and uses up all of those little bits you just can’t bear to throw away.
Check out this fantastic recipe for Crab & Corn Chowder and make sure to whip up a batch this dungeness crab season if you live in California, where they are readily available for the next month or two.
Crab & Corn Chowder
Serves 6-8. Recipe adapted from here.
- 2 pieces bacon, chopped into small pieces
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 2½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 cups fish stock (or chicken or vegetable)
- ¼ cup white wine, like Chardonnay
- ½ lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into approx. ½-inch cubes
- ½ lb. corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- ½ lb. crab meat (picked clean from whole crabs or in refrigerated plastic tubs at the fishmonger. Never buy the room-temperature canned crab, you’re sure to be disappointed)
- ¾ cup cream or milk
- Salt & pepper to taste
In a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium-low heat, add the bacon and saute for 3-4 minutes until fat is liquefied and bacon is just starting to crisp up.
Next add the chopped onion and continue to saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent but not brown.
Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to absorb it into the bacon fat, making a roux. Stir occasionally and cook for 3-4 minutes so the flour has had a chance to fully absorb into the bacon, onions and fat.
Slowly whisk in the stock, then the wine. Bring the whole pot to a low boil.
Add the potatoes and simmer 15 minutes or so, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a knife.
Once potatoes are nice and tender, add the corn. Next, slowly add the milk or cream, stirring as you go.
Finally, add the crab, let simmer lightly for 2-3 minutes to the crab can warm in the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper, serve hot.
