You can use any type of crab for this chowder, except for shore crabs. I used Dungeness crab since it's available locally and is still in season. It certainly tastes awesome with the bread I made yesterday. No idea on how heavy the crab was prior to being shelled, but it yielded 1.5 cups of cooked crab meat.
Here's a breakdown of what it costs to make this chowder from scratch:
1 Dungeness crab, cooked (roughly $8 per whole crab, about a pound)
2 white potatoes, $0.50
2 c chicken broth (1/2 quart), $1.00
2 green onion stalks (assuming 8 stalks per bunch and $0.50/bunch), $0.16
1/4 c flour (10# flour at $4), $0.02
2 tbsp unsalted butter (at $3/lb), $0.38
3 organic celery stalks (your yield may vary, this is based on a $2 bag), $0.30
salt, black pepper, and various spices, $0.25
One 16 oz bag of cut sweet corn, $1.69
2 c (16 oz) of organic half 'n' half, $2
Yield: 2 quarts (8 one-cup servings)
Total: $14.30
Cost per cup: $1.79
When ingredient sourcing, food prep, and cook time is factored into the cost, that $5 bowl of chowder you get at the restaurant is actually a pretty good deal.
Anyhow, here's the recipe. It's adapted from the deepsouthdish blog.
Ingredients
1 c + 1/2 c cooked crab meat, picked over for shells
2 c chicken broth
2 white potatoes, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 brown onion, thinly sliced
1 lb (16 oz) cut sweet corn
16 oz organic half 'n' half, warmed
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
few grinds of black pepper
1/4 tsp each paprika, dried tarragon, ground white pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
2 strips of bacon, thinly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter and add onions (not the green onions), celery, and bacon. Cook until the onions are translucent or lightly browned. Add flour and stir until evenly distributed. Gradually add chicken broth and stir until it is smooth.
2. Add potatoes, corn, spices, and a cup of crab meat. Reserve crab leg meat for garnish. Cook over low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add warmed half and half, green onions and parsley. Stir to combine.
3. Add reserved crab meat as garnish for each serving.
