ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE SPECIALTIES OF
Baltimore and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay area is the thick, brilliant orange, peppery crab soup found in casual restaurants such as The Chesapeake, Copsey’s, and Courtney’s. And it was after consuming two bowls of the fiery potage at Copsey’s (followed by a little local country ham stuffed with greens) that I came up with the idea of converting the soup into a milky chowder. This, of course, changes the whole nature of the dish, but I’ve yet to have guests who didn’t rave about the chowder. And it’s equally delicious made with half crabmeat, half shrimp.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 3 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups milk
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
- 1 large ripe tomato, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large, heavy saucepan, fry the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside.
- Add the chopped onions, diced potatoes, and water to the saucepan with the bacon fat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender and most of the water is evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the milk and half-and-half, and return to a simmer.
- Add the lump crabmeat, diced tomato, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Return to a simmer and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
- Serve the chowder in soup bowls and sprinkle equal amounts of the reserved bacon over the top of each portion.
NOTE
- Be careful not to let the chowder boil after adding the milk and half-and-half to prevent curdling.
