Corn, Crab, and Shrimp Chowder

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Ingredients

  • 6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  • 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved
  • 3 ears of corn—shucked, kernels cut off and cobs reserved
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch dice
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/3-inch dice
  • 3 celery ribs, cut into 1/3-inch dice
  • 1 serrano chile, minced
  • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Snipped chives, for garnish
  • Buttered toast, for serving

Steps

  1. Gather the ingredients.
  2. In a large pot, bring the stock to a boil with the shrimp shells and corn cobs. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove the cobs. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large, heatproof bowl, pressing on the shells to remove as much stock as possible. Wipe out the pot.
  4. In a small skillet, toast the celery and fennel seeds over moderately high heat until fragrant and starting to pop, about 45 seconds. Let cool completely. In a spice grinder or mortar, grind or crush the seeds to a powder.
  5. In the large pot, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Add the yellow pepper, onion, celery, and chile and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the ground fennel and celery seeds and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add the potatoes and shrimp stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  7. Stir the shrimp and crabmeat into the chowder. Cover and let stand until the shrimp turn pink on the outside, about 3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and corn kernels. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat; immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the shrimp are white throughout, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with chives. Serve with buttered toast.
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