OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

Seafood Chowder

Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder

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Rich and creamy, Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder is a Pacific Northwest favorite with lump crab, sweet corn, red potatoes and fresh tarragon.

Rich and creamy, Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder is a Pacific Northwest favorite with lump crab meat, sweet corn, creamy 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.

Rich and creamy, Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder is a Pacific Northwest favorite with lump crab meat, sweet corn, creamy red potatoes and fresh tarragon.

Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder

Rich and creamy, Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder is a Pacific Northwest favorite with lump crab meat, sweet corn, creamy red potatoes and fresh tarragon.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Soups, Stews, Chowders
Servings 6

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.
Keyword Chowder, Corn Chowder, Crab Chowder, Dungeness crab

Out West Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

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Smoky, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Out West Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.

Smokey, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Smoked Salmon Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.

The Pacific Northwest is known for seafood, rustic cuisine and well, let’s face it….RAIN. Seattle averages 38 inches annually, which means we like our chowder. We make chowder out of anything from classic manila clam, to geoduck and my favorite, this Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder.

A little bit fancier than the classic clam chowder, we add tender corn, red bell pepper and tarragon together with creamy baby red and white potatoes. Tarragon is a French herb that adds a distinct flavor and pairs so nicely with seafood. It also is known to be a powerful antioxidant that can boost your immune system. Perfect for the winter season.

Ingredients

  • Smoked Salmon – You want the hot smoked salmon as opposed to the cold smoked salmon. It is cured, then cooked with heated wood smoke.
  • Corn – Fresh off the cob is best, frozen would be the next best choice.
  • Potato – Red and white baby new potatoes are best for this dish.
  • White Cooking Wine – Just a simple white wine.
  • Tarragon – My favorite herb to add to seafood dishes giving a light licorice flavor like fennel or anise.
  • Paprika – For color and a little spice.
  • Cream – Heavy cream, sometimes called whipping cream.
  • Chicken Broth – If you have seafood broth, use that, but chicken broth works just as well. I like Better Than Bouillon brand.
  • Red Bell Pepper, Shallot & Celery – Add to the overall flavor.
  • Flour & Butter – Combine to make a roux to thicken the chowder.

If you LOVE seafood, try this OUT WEST favorite FARM STYLE CLAM CHOWDER using fresh clams

This rustic, Farm Style Clam Chowder combines fresh manila clams, sliced baby potatoes, a splash of sherry, cream, tarragon and smokey bacon.

Preparation

  1. Sauté celery, shallot and red bell pepper in one tablespoon butter over medium high heat until just softened.
  2. Add white cooking wine and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer about 10 minutes until tender.
  4. In a separate sauce pan, melt two tablespoons butter over medium heat and stir in flour to create a roux. Turn heat to low and add two ladles of chicken broth from the potato mixture into the roux. Stir quickly and combine with potato mixture.
  5. Stir in smoked salmon, corn, cream, tarragon, paprika, salt and pepper.
  6. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread.
Smoky, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Smoked Salmon Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.
Print Pin

Out West Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

Smokey, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine PNW, Seafood, Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword Chowder
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • ½ cup celery diced
  • ½ cup shallot diced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper diced
  • ½ cup white cooking wine
  • 1 ½ cups red and white baby potatoes sliced in rounds
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ½ lb smoked salmon roughly broken into pieces
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 tsp tarragon dried
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tbsp. butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add celery, shallot and red bell pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add white cooking wine and cook another 1-2 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. While potatoes are cooking, make roux.
  • Roux: In a small saucepan heat 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat until melted. Add flour and stir constantly until smooth. Turn heat to very low. Using a ladle, spoon 2 ladles of broth from potatoes into roux and stir quickly and remove from heat.
  • Immediately stir roux into chowder mixture, stirring until combined.
  • Add smoked salmon, corn, cream, tarragon, paprika and salt and pepper and stir until combined.
  • Simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring regularly. More is better so the flavors combine and next day is even better.

More Soups, Stews & Chowders

Roasting parsnips brings out their earthy sweet flavor in this winter soup. Not only is this Roasted Parsnip Soup with Crispy Fried Shallots easy to make, it’s easy on the budget too.
Out West Cowboy Chili is packed with tender steak, pinto beans and poblano peppers with a touch of liquid smoke for that campfire flavor.

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