Name: Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 40g unsalted butter; 125g/ 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped; 2 sticks of celery, trimmed, washed and finely chopped; 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped; 15g/1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon plain/all-purpose flour; 500ml shellfish stock (See Recipe Notes); 300ml milk; 1 bay leaf; ½ - 1 teaspoon fine salt; ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 300g new potatoes, chopped into small dice – no need to peel; 300g sweetcorn kernels – fresh, frozen or tinned; 200g white crab meat, divided; 200ml single/pouring cream; chopped parsley; white crab

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Delicate, sweet crab and juicy, sweeter, buttery sweetcorn complement each other perfectly in this creamy chowder. Melt in the mouth potatoes, shellfish stock, onion, garlic and cream, come together to make a luscious and filling, but not overly rich, soup, perfect for a starter, a delicious lunch with some fresh bread or a light supper.

A chowder is a soup or stew with a creamy, thickened broth made with stock, milk and cream. There are many variations of this dish and much debate about its origins. Whilst there are references to chowders in England and France going back over 300 years ago, it is now most commonly associated with the New England area in the USA and it is believed it came over with the immigrants. New England Clam Chowder is an absolute classic but there are many variations using ingredients such as chicken, prawn, ham, seafood, crayfish, smoked haddock, cod, scallop and halibut to name just a few.

How to make Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder

Collect the ingredients together:

unsalted butter
onion, peeled and finely chopped
celery, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
plain/all-purpose flour
shellfish stock (See Recipe Notes)
milk
bay leaf
fine salt
freshly ground black pepper
new potatoes, chopped into small dice – no need to peel
sweetcorn kernels – fresh, frozen or tinned
white crab meat
fresh cream

Toppings:

crab
chopped parsley

How to make the Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder:

Finely chop the onion and celery. You can do this by hand or in a food processor.
Melt the butter in the casserole dish over a moderately hot heat and add the chopped onion and celery. Cook for around 5 minutes until softened and slightly caramelised.
Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for a further minute.
Now add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Pour in the stock and milk all at once and stir well until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
Chop the potatoes into small cubes and add with the bay leaf and salt and cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Then add the sweetcorn and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Set a little crab aside to garnish the chowder. Then add the remaining crab and the cream and stir to mix. Ensure everything is piping hot but do not boil it. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Serve with chunks of warm fresh bread, in warmed bowls garnished with chopped parsley and the crab you set aside.

Ingredients plus crab – which I forgot to photograph!

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Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder

Delicate, sweet crab and juicy, sweeter, buttery sweetcorn complement each other perfectly in this creamy chowder. Serves 3 – 4

Course light supper, Lunch, Starter, Supper

Cuisine American

Keyword chowder, hasselback potatoes, sweetcorn, white crab

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Author Susan

Ingredients

40g unsalted butter
125g/ 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
15g/1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon plain/all-purpose flour
500ml shellfish stock (See Recipe Notes)
300ml milk
1 bay leaf
½ – 1 teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
300g new potatoes, chopped into small dice – no need to peel
300g sweetcorn kernels – fresh, frozen or tinned
200g white crab meat, divided
200ml single/pouring cream

Toppings:

chopped parsley
white crab

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Finely chop the onion and celery. You can do this by hand or in a food processor.
Melt the butter in the casserole dish over a moderately hot heat and add the chopped onion and celery. Cook for around 5 minutes until softened and slightly caramelised.
Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for a further minute.
Now add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Pour in the stock and milk all at once and stir well until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
Chop the potatoes into small cubes and add with the bay leaf and salt and cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Then add the sweetcorn and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Set a little crab aside to garnish the chowder. Then add the remaining crab and the cream and stir to mix. Ensure everything is piping hot but do not boil it. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Serve with chunks of warm fresh bread, in warmed bowls garnished with chopped parsley and the crab you set aside.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

chopping board and knife
kitchen scales and measuring spoons and cups/jug
cast iron casserole dish/Dutch oven
food processor, if required

Shellfish stock:

I made this using shellfish stock I bought at Waitrose. If you want to make the stock, please see here for the recipe. You will need shellfish shells such as from crab, prawns, lobster. Ask your fishmonger, they will often give them to you free of charge.