How to make a shrimp and crab chowder for your next special dinner. This restaurant-style soup is sure to amaze your guests!
At the beginning of this year, I received an invitation to participate in a Recipe Swap of sorts from Christianna of Burwell General Store. During her travels, Christianna had found an old-time hymnal and cookbook ( All-Day Singin’ and Dinner on the Ground by Albert E. Brumley) and thought it would be fun to update the older recipes and give them our own twist.
The rules of the swap are pretty simple: change three things about the original recipe while staying true to its basic premise and adding your own twist. This month’s Selection for the recipe swap was “Wild Rabbit with Vegetables.”
Now I have to tell you, the thought of eating a little fluffy bunny is not high on my list. I do understand they’re considered good eatin’ in certain parts of the world, but I’m afraid rabbit has not made its way into my repertoire.
As I looked over the recipe, it really didn’t look much different from any stew I could make, and chicken would have been the easiest substitution for the little fluffy bunny. Sigh.
But I had Shrimp and jumbo lump crab meat on hand, so rather than make a trip to the store, I decided to make my entry in this month’s swap a Seafood stew. I did have some fish pieces in the freezer, but they looked a little worse for wear, so instead of ingredients in the stew, they found their way into the stock pot with all the shrimp shells I had been saving.
This would have made a wonderful fisherman’s stew with chunks of fish and even a few clams, but without the fish, I decided to make it into a chowder. It was without a doubt a good decision, and it will be making many more appearances at our table. Feel free to recreate this dish with whatever seafood you have on hand or is available in your area.
Any way you make it, I’m sure it will be a hit at your table!
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Shrimp and Crab Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion medium dice
- 3-4 carrots , rough cut medium
- 6 celery stalks rough cut medium
- 2 medium potatoes rough cut medium
- 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined, and chopped
- ½ lb crab meat ( I used jumbo lump)
- ½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- 2 quarts fish or chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- old bay to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- start a seafood stock with any fish pieces, or scrap, shrimp shells or fish bones you may have on hand. ( you may use clam juice instead)
- add the butter to a 4 quart sauce pan with all of the rough cut vegetables and allow to cook until they begin to soften.
- Add the flour to the vegetables and mix well, to make a roux, allow this to cook for at least 5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
- add the heated stock to the roux mixture and blend well.
- add in the heavy cream and season.
- allow chowder to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- add the chopped shrimp pieces and allow to cook in the chowder for 3-5 minutes
- Before serving add in your crab meat.
Liz
Oh, this looks fabulous, Dennis…and our drop from 100º to 70º over two days has put me in the mood for hot comfort food like this. I must say I’m relieved you didn’t use the rabbit 🙂
Barbara | Creative Culinary
This was a great swap; your dish looks fabulous. In any given moment I would be prone to swap meat for seafood gladly. I’m happy you went in this direction, it offers yet another creative take on something many of us struggled with emotionally more than practically (though even if I had wanted to I have no idea where I would have procured rabbit!).
Alli
What a great spin on the recipe Dennis…your pictures are so gorgeous…make me want to pull out the pots and pans and make chowder and grilled bread this afternoon!
Lindsay (Rosemarried)
Great take on the swap! Glad to hear you weren’t up for cooking a cute little rabbit either! 🙂 And I love that you used what you had on hand to make something truly lovely! And you made fish stock! This recipe truly looks wonderful. Bravo!
Lindsey@Lindselicious
Oh that chowder looks so good! I just want to dip the crusty pieces of bread in there.
Lee aka Kaptainkosh
Hi Chef Dennis!
I really like your blog and this recipe looks great – I’m a huge Shrimp and Crab fan.
I live in NYC and just took up cooking and picked it up pretty quickly. I recently started my own blog also.
Take a look and let me know what you think 🙂
Thanks! – KK
Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having
I’m a little ashamed to say I have never had a chowder of any kind. This recipe sounds and looks fantastic, and I think I have everything I need for it on hand. I will definitely be trying it this week! Thanks!
Mari @ Mari's Cakes
Great recipe Dennis. I am sure my hubby will Looooove it! Thanks for sharing it. Have a fantastic Labor Day!
gc @ stayhooked
I’ve never been a big fan rabbit (Childhood experience). The Shrimp and crab was definitely an excellent choice for this swap. I might go lighter on the butter; but that’s just me 🙂
This looks like such a warm dish; I certainly see myself making this to serve on a cold and cozy night; surrounded by loved ones.
You nailed it.
Monique
Is it awful that cooking the fluffy bunny didn’t phase me at all? (I did grow up in a hunting clan…) Great spin on the original recipe- your chowder looks wonderful!
Hyosun Ro
I love seafood chowder. Thanks for this easy recipe.
Becky
This is a great adaptation of the recipe, No fluffy bunny, Thanks. I’ll take your shrimp and Crab stew anytime.
Mike@The Culinary Lens
I love your rework.
I like these vintage recipes they say cut up rabbit assuming everybody would know how. Also I suspect what they call “tame rabbit” is what we would call a pet..
Strangely enough I would not mind trying the rabbit recipe either.
Sprigs of Rosemary
Although I have eaten rabbit — There’s nothing I won’t at least try; gotta practice what I preach — your swap is a delightful switch. And just in time as thoughts turn to this type of comfort food. And just a beautiful photograph, too.
Tina@flourtrader
Great twist on this recipe and I would gladly go for the seafood instead of rabbit any day. Rabbit is not on my list of foods I want to eat. Have a wonderful labor day!