New Orleans Style Crab and Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup chopped jalapeno peppers
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®)
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups water
• ½ pound sweet corn kernels
• 2 ounces fresh crabmeat
• 2 cloves peeled garlic
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika (preferably sweet)
• 1 bunch thinly sliced green onion for garnish

Step 1

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, jalapeño peppers, celery, and a pinch of salt. Cook everything gently until the onions become soft and translucent, which should take about 7 to 10 minutes. Next, sprinkle in the seafood seasoning and cayenne pepper, stirring for just about half a minute to let the flavors bloom.

Step 2

Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir it in well. Keep cooking and stirring for around 2 minutes until the mixture thickens just a bit. Then, pour in 2 1/2 cups of water along with half a pound of corn kernels and 2 ounces of crab meat. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it all to a gentle simmer.

Step 3

While that’s heating up, blend together 1 cup of water, the remaining half pound of corn kernels, and the garlic until smooth. Pour this corn puree back into the pot and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer gently for about 45 minutes, until the chowder thickens and the color deepens.

Step 4

Finally, stir in the remaining 6 ounces of crab meat, a sprinkle of paprika, and the heavy cream. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve it up with some chopped green onions on top and a little extra cayenne if you like a bit more kick.