Crab & Corn Chowder

While I love Summer and the warm weather and vacations that it brings, I'm ready for my favorite season, Fall! One type of food that I have loved while pregnant this summer has been soups! (Weird I know! I'm well aware that it's been 95 degrees outside; however - I'm not fighting it! I love my soups!) I love the crab and corn chowder from Bonefish, and have been looking for a homemade recipe to try. I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and planned to save it for when it gets a little cooler outside, but I thought to myself, why not try it now? Of the soups I've made in the past, this one was my first chowder and I was extremely impressed!

Ingredients:

• 4-6 potatoes, chopped (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups half and half
• 2 tsp Old Bay
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 16 oz frozen sweet corn
• 16 oz lump crab meat

Note: One great thing about making this recipe during summer/early fall is that you can substitute fresh corn on the cob for the bag of frozen corn! :)

Directions:

• Parboil the potatoes - Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the diced potatoes, letting boil for about 5 minutes. Immediately rinse in cold water to cool and set aside until ready to use. 
• Melt butter on the stove top and add chopped onion to saute for approximately 5 minutes.
• Stir in flour and slowly add the chicken broth, whisking.
• Stir in the half and half (tip: to keep the half and half from curdling, let it set on the counter to warm to room temperature, or at least slightly so that it isn't refrigerator cold when added to the chowder).
• Season with salt, pepper, Old Bay, cayenne and thyme.
• Add parboiled potatoes, frozen corn and crab meat. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally for 30-45 minutes.
• Serve and add scallions and shredded cheddar cheese if desired for additional garnish! This would also be delicious served with warm bread.

Hope that you enjoy! :)