Crab & Corn Chowder with BLT Salad
Did someone say crabs, corn and bacon? What Marylander could resist! This fancy sounding meal is super easy to make and combines all the things we love about living on the Chesapeake Bay in the summertime.
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 minutes| Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. lump crab meat
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1 small onion, nely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 C. dry white wine
- 4 C. chicken stock
- 2 large potatoes, skin on, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 ears corn, cut off cob
- 1 C. half & half
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Salt and peper to taste
Instructions:
In a small stock pot or large saucepan, brown the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pot and drain on a paper towel. Retain rendered fat. Save bacon for the salad.
In rendered fat, cook onion over medium heat until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic to onions and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Deglaze pan with wine, then add chicken stock, potatoes and corn.
Cover partially and cook until potatoes are tender.
Pour in the half and half, followed by the thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne.
Remove about a cup of soup (including potatoes and corn) and puree. Return the puree to the pot and bring chowder to a boil.
Continue to boil for 2 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. To thicken chowder, make more puree.
Finish cooking and season to taste. Place a handful of crabmeat in each serving bowl and ladle chowder over top. Garnish with additional crab meat, fresh tyme or chives and serve.
- Serve with BLT salad (recipe below).
BLT Salad
To make the salad, add lettuce or mixed greens and chopped tomatoes to plates. Chop reserved bacon from chowder recipe and add to salads. If desired add croutons and your favorite dressing.
Serves 4 - 6.
Recipe by Gwyn Novak of No Thyme to Cook