Dungeness Crab Chowder Recipes

DUNGENESS CRAB CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 5 quart stockpot over medium heat.
• Add the peppers and corn and saute for 2 minutes over high heat.
• Add garlic, thyme and cumin; saute for 2 minutes.
• Add scallions and saute for another minute.
• Add hot chicken stock and cornstarch mixture.
• Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Season the chowder with Tabasco to taste, then add the cooked crabmeat.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Garnish the individual servings with chopped scallions.

DUNGENESS CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• Remove the claws from the crabs and quarter the bodies. Heat a 6-quart stockpot. Add the oil and saute the crab pieces until they are red. Remove the pieces as they are cooked. Add the carrot, celery, tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and tarragon and continue to saute for 10 minutes. Pour in the cognac and ignite. When the flame has subsided, deglaze with white wine, and add the tomato paste, crab, and enough fish stock to cover. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, and bay leaf and boil gently for 15 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, reduce the cream by half. Remove the crab bodies from the pot and set aside. Add the reduced cream to the soup. Puree the soup, in batches, in a food processor. Strain the pureed soup and keep warm.
• Remove the meat from the claws and cut into bite-size pieces and add to the soup. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve in heated soup bowls and garnish with minced chives or parsley.

CRAB CHOWDER

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper in hot butter until onion and celery start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir potatoes, milk, broth, cream, and clam juice into onion mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
• Pour broth mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and stir in crabmeat. Cook until soup is hot and crab is heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

DUNGENESS & MUSHROOM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a 3- to 4-quart pan, combine potatoes with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, rinse mushrooms briefly and drain. Trim off and discard any tough stem ends; if using shiitakes, discard whole stems. Cut mushrooms into large bite-size pieces. In a heavy 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add mushrooms and stir often until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl.
• Add bacon to same pan over medium-high heat and stir often until beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and stir often until onion is limp, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture and stir often until just beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Whisk chicken broth and cream into pan and continue whisking until mixture boils and thickens, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in sherry, Worcestershire, and thyme, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Gently stir in potatoes, mushrooms, and crabmeat. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until heated through.
• Cook's tip: You can substitute common button mushrooms for the wild ones. To add wild flavor, cover 2 packages mixed dried wild mushrooms (about 3/4 oz. total) with 1 cup boiling water and let soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Lift mushrooms out gently, squeeze dry, and cut into bite-size pieces; add with button mushrooms. Substitute the mushroom-soaking liquid for one cup of the chicken broth, pouring it in carefully, leaving the sediment behind.