Every summer, all I want to eat is fresh Jersey produce. And if I’m not eating that, all I want to eat is seafood. So I figured, why not make both?
This recipe pairs fresh sweet Jersey corn with luxurious lump crab meat. It's a match made in culinary heaven! It's also rich and decadent but still light at the same time. It works perfectly as a first course as well as a main dish. Serve it with a crisp leafy salad, or better yet, some warm crusty bread.
It just doesn't get any better!
5 strips of bacon, cut into lardons
1 small onion, finely diced
3 ribs of celery, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups any kind of stock (chicken, seafood, vegetable, etc)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, or more to taste
3 cups corn, preferably fresh, about 3-4 ears)
1 pint half and half or heavy cream, plus more to taste
1 lb imitation or fresh lump crab meat
Chopped chives or green onions, for garnish
In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat. When the fat is rendered, add the onions, celery, peppers, and potatoes. Continue to stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Now add the wine, stock, salt, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a low simmer. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the corn, give it a good stir, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Now add the half and half and crab meat. Gently stir and bring it back up to heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve with a garnish of chopped chives or green onions, if desired.
This recipe pairs fresh sweet Jersey corn with luxurious lump crab meat. It's a match made in culinary heaven! It's also rich and decadent but still light at the same time. It works perfectly as a first course as well as a main dish. Serve it with a crisp leafy salad, or better yet, some warm crusty bread.
It just doesn't get any better!
5 strips of bacon, cut into lardons
1 small onion, finely diced
3 ribs of celery, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups any kind of stock (chicken, seafood, vegetable, etc)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, or more to taste
3 cups corn, preferably fresh, about 3-4 ears)
1 pint half and half or heavy cream, plus more to taste
1 lb imitation or fresh lump crab meat
Chopped chives or green onions, for garnish
In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat. When the fat is rendered, add the onions, celery, peppers, and potatoes. Continue to stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Now add the wine, stock, salt, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a low simmer. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the corn, give it a good stir, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Now add the half and half and crab meat. Gently stir and bring it back up to heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve with a garnish of chopped chives or green onions, if desired.
Tips:
This recipe is perfectly adaptable to fit whatever ingredients you have on hand. The ingredients and amounts are just guidelines. For the bacon, any kind will work. Thick, thin, pancetta, guanciale, anything. For the aromatics, any kind of onions, any color bell pepper, any kind of starchy potato. And feel free to add as much as you like. Do you like a lot of potatoes? Add a lot of potatoes! Same goes for the stock. What kind do you have? Chicken stock? Perfect. Shrimp or seafood stock? Great. I made a stock from the fresh corn cobs and it was fabulous. You could even use bouillon. You do you! For the dairy, I used half and half because I think it’s the sweet spot between milk and heavy cream. If you only have heavy cream, go for it! If you want to use regular milk, I’d add a little melted butter, just to keep it nice and rich and velvety.
For the crab, I'm fine with using imitation. I usually don’t mention specific brands, but in this case, my favorite is Gadre Surimi Style Snow Legs. But if you feel compelled to use fresh lump crab, all the better! Just be VERY gentle when stirring it into the soup so you can keep all those gorgeous lumps intact! Wanna add other seafood like shrimp or lobster? Why not?! Oooo.. that sounds kind of fabulous, actually. I think I need to make another batch!
