Corn & Crab Chowder

First let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE crabs. I was raised in Maryland and some of my best memories involve multiple family crab feasts in our back yard. Newspapers were spread across the table tops and in the center lay a giant pile of steamed crabs waiting to be cracked open. The usual accompaniments to this would be corn-on-the-cob and ice cold beer. Yum…

Ok, back to the Chowder at hand. This is a delicious recipe that combines the flavors of fresh corn and sweet crab. For this recipe I used Alaskan King Crab, which is my second favorite type of crab. First is the Maryland Blue Crab steamed with Old Bay Seasoning (of course).

This recipes makes for 2 large bowls.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ Onion, chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/3 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
1/3 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped fine
3 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth (Chicken broth would work, too)
2 ears of Corn
1 Potato, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 cup fresh Crab Meat
1 cup Milk of your choice
2 Tbsp Flour
Salt and Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Place butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add onion, celery, and bell peppers and sauté until tender.
Add garlic, parsley, vegetable broth, corn, potato and Old Bay Seasoning.
Cook over medium heat until potato is tender, about 15 minutes.
Add crab meat.
In a small bowl mix together the milk and flour, being sure to get rid of any clumps.
Stir the milk mixture into the chowder.
Allow chowder to come to a low boil, while stirring occasionally.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Serve with crusty bread for dipping.
Enjoy!