It’s been raining all day here and Atlanta. The sky continues to drip down and the clouds grow heavier with water each hour. It doesn’t look like the rain is letting up anytime soon. I took my son to school this morning and came home to a fridge full of groceries and a mind full of ideas. I spotted a can of lump crab meat I bought earlier in the week. I love to buy canned crab meat to use for crab cakes, crab bisque, and of course crab chowder. I decided I’d make some chowder today since the weather has been so cold and sad. A big bowl of creamy chowder was all I needed on a day like today. I added some golden potatoes, some shallot and garlic and let it simmer for a good amount of time. By the time my husband got home for lunch, it was ready.
Oh my goodness.. this chowder is so tasty. It’s creamy, dense and warms my soul. The crab adds a subtle yet obvious seafood flavor to the base of the soup. Yet it’s not overwhelming what-so-ever. As my husband and I sat down to eat..I couldn’t stop talking about how amazing this chowder was. It reminds me of the restaurants on northeast coast. I promise, you don’t have to have fresh out of the water crab in order to make a good crab chowder. The canned stuff does just fine!
You can find the canned crab meat by your seafood counter. I can usually find it positioned next to or under the counter of fresh fish. If you can’t find it, I’m sure you ask the butcher to point you in the right direction.
I serve my chowder with some toasted buttery bread. It’s the perfect dipping tool. This chowder would also go great with my garlic herb butter bread that I’ll link below…
GARLIC HERB BUTTER FRENCH LOAF
CRAB CHOWDER
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced in half inch squares
1 shallot, minced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp creole seasoning (like Tony’s)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 sprig rosemary
6 sprigs thyme
8 oz. lump crab meat
1/2 large lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
DIRECTIONS:
Add olive oil, butter and potatoes to a Dutch oven or large pot. Turn heat to medium high and cook for about 7 minutes till potatoes are slightly golden. Stir occasionally.
Add in shallot and garlic to the potatoes and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stirring often.
Add in flour and cook for 1 minute. This will allow the flour to melt into the oil and cook off the “flour” taste.
Slowly add in chicken broth to the pot and stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil and allow to thicken for another 2 minutes.
Add in heavy cream, milk, creole seasoning, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest and juice, crab meat and tomato paste. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes then reduce to a simmer.
Cover with a lid and let simmer for 45 minutes. This will allow the crab flavor to develop and the potatoes to cook through.
Once 45 minutes has passed, remove the sprigs of thyme and rosemary before serving.
Serve chowder hot with a side of crusty bread.