Rich and creamy, Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder is a Pacific Northwest favorite with lump crab, sweet corn, red potatoes and fresh tarragon.
Crab and corn are the perfect pair, creating the kind of chowder you want to savor every bite. The addition of fresh tarragon plays on the sweetness of the Dungeness crab without being overpowering. I like to save a few of the larger lump pieces of crab together with corn and bacon to garnish the top of my chowder bowl.
Depending on the season, freshly cut corn off the cob in the summer months is always my number one choice. In the winter, I opt for frozen corn, which is still sweet and flavorful. I like to try and freeze corn in the summer so I always have the freshest local farm to table corn all year long.
Check your local markets for fresh Dungeness crab. If you’re local to the Pacific Northwest, you will love the seafood selection at Taylor’s Shellfish Farm in Bow, WA.
Ingredients in Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder
- Dungeness Crab – A full pound of sweet, buttery Dungeness crab.
- Sweet Corn – Use fresh corn off the cob or frozen in off season.
- Red Potatoes – Creamy baby red potatoes sliced instead of chopped for texture.
- Tarragon – My favorite herb to use with shellfish.
- Bacon – Thick cut bacon cut into lardons (strips).
- Shallot – Similar to adding onion, but a little fancier.
- Garlic – I use minced garlic that I keep in the fridge.
- Broth – Seafood broth if you have it, otherwise chicken broth is just fine.
- Pantry / Fridge – Milk, butter and flour to make it all come together.
Related Recipes
Dungeness Crab Enchiladas with creamy Monterey Jack cheese and zesty green sauce are another delicious way to use fresh crab, click the link for this easy recipe. Looking for a stepped up clam chowder? Rustic Farm Style Clam Chowder takes a classic recipe and adds fresh steamer clams and tarragon. Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream are crispy, buttery bites of crab that really deliver not only flavor but a colorful plate.
Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 strips thick cut bacon cut into lardons
- 1/4 cup shallot minced
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups seafood broth or chicken broth
- 2 cups red or yellow creamer potatoes halved then sliced into 1/8 inch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tsp. garlic minced
- 1 cup corn fresh or frozen
- 1 pound Dungeness crab
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon stem removed
Instructions
- Cook bacon lardons in soup pot over medium high heat, rendering all the fat until just crispy. Remove bacon from pot and set aside for garnish, leaving any grease in the pot.
- Add butter to the pot. Once melted add shallot and sauté until softened. Add flour and stir to combine, cooking for about two minutes to ensure flour taste is cooked out.
- Add broth, milk, potatoes and garlic. Simmer on medium low until potatoes are fork tender. Base should be thick and creamy now. Fold in corn, tarragon leaves and Dungeness crab. Continue to heat on medium low until crab is heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon.
Leave a Reply