Tag Archives: seafood

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: Crab Corn Chowder

I haven’t written up a recipe in awhile. But rest assured, I stayed busy in the kitchen all year.

I tend to prefer broth-like soups, but every wet, cold wintry day demands a spicy stick-to-your-ribs seafood chowder.

This recipe pairs crab and corn together for liquid gold creamy goodness. During warmer months, I usually omit the potatoes, but recently DH demanded potatoes in his chowder, so in they went.

Lite crab corn soup – minus the potatoes

The result is a kicky, New England-style chowder that’s sweet, spicy and chunky.

Base:

  • 4 oz onion, chopped or diced
  • 1 tablespoons evoo (for onion saute)
  • 16 oz lobster broth
  • 15 oz canned cream corn
  • 8 oz light cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit for less spicy)
  • .25 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp stevia or sweetener of your preference
Make your own lobster broth for best flavor! Slow cooked shells

Saute the onions over medium heat, then add the rest of the ingredients above and mix thoroughly. Immersion blend till desired liquid consistency. Pour into slow cooker, then add the following ingredients.

  • 16 oz russet potatoes, diced
  • 1 medium or large jalapeno, diced (remove veins for less spicy)
  • 4oz heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 6- 8 oz claw meat
  • 12 oz roasted corn
  • 2 to 3 sprigs of thyme

Slow cook until thickened and potatoes are tender and cooked through, about 20-30 minutes over high heat. I don’t recommend pressure cooking because there isn’t enough liquid in this recipe, which will trigger the burn warning. Slow cooking will let this dish develop its flavor over time and thicken as it cooks.

Prior to serving, stir in 6-8 oz of crab meat. Garnish with chives or green onions.

Dining, Reviews

Gone lookin’ for Cajun

Fishmonger’s Seafood Market & Cafe

1915 N Central Expy Ste 600
Plano, TX 75075
(972) 423-3699

The fiance and I entered this place for an adventure in dining on a Monday evening near closing time. We were looking for some good gumbo and hoped to find some other tasty Cajun plates.

While I hoped for more from Fishmongers, I have to report that their menu lacked fire and spice, like their gumbo. Their clam chowder, while exceptionally creamy, lacked the seafood flavors I was craving…and hardly meaty at all. Their gumbo was just a drab brown rice soup with some chunks of seafood, but no zing whatsoever.

I did however enjoy their coconut shrimp appetizer, decent sized specimens lovingly fry-coated in crisp coconut and paired with a sweet ginger marmalade. The signature blue crab fingers however tasted like frozen crab after being doused in a garlic-butter sauce. I imagine it was sauced heavily to disguise the one-dimensional blandness…and to provide an excellent dunking sauce for their heavily-laden garlic bread. Garlic lovers rejoice!

I found their caesar salad less than stellar as well–no anchovies here–though I was pleased they used shredded romaine and removed croutons upon request. I think I regret that decision now, given that their croutons were of the same source as their garlic bread.

The fiance got their baked salmon in a lemon dill cream sauce while I got their mahi-mahi in creole cream sauce. The fiance’s salmon turned out tasty, even though it was baked (I almost prefer salmon otherwise) and the cream sauce only enhanced the character of the fish. My mahi on the other had was disappointing–the creole cream sauce had too much of a bitter-sour tang that detracted from the beautifully blackened fish. I had to pick out the shrimp and crab chunks from the tart tasting sauce…and left me wholly dissatisfied with the meal.

This is what I get for not ordering salmon. I can’t judge Fishmonger’s based on that single plate…I’m willing to try them again given their close proximity to home and their fine customer service. But I do wish they had some spicier food to make it a truer Cajun dining experience.

My rating: 3.0 stars
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