Ingredients:

  • 60g (4 tbsp) Unsalted Butter
  • 1 large Yellow Onion, finely diced
  • 2 Celery Sticks, finely diced
  • 45g (1/3 cup) Plain (All-Purpose) Flour
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) Dry Sherry (optional)
  • 450g (about 3 medium) Potatoes (Waxy/Yukon Gold), peeled and diced
  • 700ml (3 cups) Fish Stock or Clam Juice (low sodium)
  • 250g (1 ¾ cups) Fresh or Frozen Sweetcorn Kernels
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 2 medium Bay Leaves
  • Kosher Salt, to taste
  • Black Pepper, to taste
  • 240ml (1 cup) Whole Milk or Half-and-Half
  • 120ml (½ cup) Double Cream (Heavy Cream)
  • 225g (8 oz) Lump or Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, picked over
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley or Chives, finely chopped (for garnish)

Instructions:

  1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and celery. Cook gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft and translucent (but not browned).
  2. Sprinkle the flour over the softened vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor and form the roux.
  3. If using, pour in the dry sherry. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, scraping up any fond (browned bits) from the bottom of the pot.
  4. Gradually whisk in the fish stock (or clam juice) until the roux is fully incorporated. Add the diced potatoes, dried thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
  5. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook for 12–15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
  6. Stir in the whole milk/half-and-half and the double cream. Add the sweetcorn kernels. Bring the chowder back up to a gentle simmer (do not allow it to boil vigorously). Cook for 3–5 minutes until the sweetcorn is tender and the chowder has thickened slightly.
  7. Remove the pot from the heat. Gently fold in the picked crab meat. The residual heat of the chowder is enough to warm the crab without making it tough.
  8. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt, pepper). Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or chives.