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 take the older recipes and update them giving them our own twist. The rules of the swap are pretty simple, change 3 things about the original recipe while staying true to the basic premise of the recipe while adding your own twist to the recipe. This months 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 than 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 and rather than make a trip to the store, I decided to make my entry in this months swap a Seafood stew. I did have some fish pieces in the freezer but they looked a little worse for the wear and instead of ingredients in the stew, 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 version into a chowder, it was without a doubt a good decision and will be making many more appearances at our table. Feel free to recreate this dish with what ever 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!
- 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
- 1/2 lb crab meat ( I used jumbo lump)
- 1/2 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
- 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.
*if using fish pieces add them in raw and allow them to cook in the chowder, they will remain more intact this way and impart flavor to the chowder.
We did have a wonderful meal with this chowder serve it up with some nice crusty bread or garlic bread and you’ll be in heaven! It does freeze well, you may just have to thin it out a bit more when you reheat the chowder.
As soon as the air crisps up a bit…i will be all over this!
I’ll take shrimp and crab meat over a fluffy bunny anyday. Good choice. 🙂 Looks delish.
Love your update of the recipe! I think this is our most provocative recipe yet, clearly bringing up alot for swappers around the rabbit. This is a great spin staying true to the idea of a stew but swapping the protein. Love it!
What a beautiful chowder! I think swapping out the protein was a good move! Though I LOVE that vintage cookbook….very cool! This chowder looks so inviting! : )
mmmm sounds great Chef, a wonderful substitution indeed
Dennis, love it! It was hard to think about little fluffy bunnies, wasn’t it? Love the new site design, too- as always, I’m honored be a part of the swap with you.
shrimp and crab always win in my book! I’ll be making this over the fall!
Love this vintage cookbook swap! I would have definitely started with swapping out that rabbit first! Eeekkkk!!
A great swap out for poor Fluffy! This would have been perfect to take the chill off this evening. I wish I had smell-o-internet!
I hate it, because when I see your food my tummy is growling… now I am craving for this =)
Slurp slurp slurping away ( in my mind )…that is so mouthwatering…crabs and shrimps are my favorites. Great one and I have KIV this when I next buy some crabs 🙂
Have a nice day Chef Dennis,
Elin
Oh yum this sounds so good to me!
This soup sound really Yum,i will save the recipe,will make it sometime 🙂
Chef, you did an amazing job updating this recipe into something that I would absolutely love to try. It looks delicious. I’ve buzzed it and I’ve printed it to try soon. The swamp maples are already starting to turn up here so I am thinking really hard about food like this these days. I hope you have a happy Labor Day and a wonderful school year. It seems like you were just starting your summer vacation. Where does time go? Candace
I am sure that the rabbit does not mind one bit that shrimp and crab took its place! The chowder looks amazing, especially with that gorgeous crusty bread on the side.
A lot of my friends bring me bones and fish heads that I use to make a stock they probably think I am nuts – but you can definitely tell the difference in stews and other seafood dishes
Congrats on yet another year at the school! Those girls are lucky!.
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!
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.
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.
This is a great adaptation of the recipe, No fluffy bunny, Thanks. I’ll take your shrimp and Crab stew anytime.
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!
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.
I love seafood chowder. Thanks for this easy recipe.
Great recipe Dennis. I am sure my hubby will Looooove it! Thanks for sharing it. Have a fantastic Labor Day!
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!
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
Oh that chowder looks so good! I just want to dip the crusty pieces of bread in there.
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!
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!
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!).
Hi Chef Dennis, It is good to meet you and be part of this recipe swap – I just showed my husband your recipe – I am allergic to shellfish and he therefore goes without it most of the time – I think he may even try this himself, which is high praise indeed!
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 🙂
I think the switch from Thumper to shrimp and crab was a good idea. Looks delicious!
Nicely done, Chef! This looks divine. I love the alterations and fine touches you’ve made. I love keeping soups like these on hand in the freezer, thanks for the suggestion!
I would eat rabbit (have eaten rabbit), but I’d much prefer shrimp and crab. Beautiful job, Chef!
Oooh, Chef, I can’t wait until it’s all dark and chilly in NYC so I can make this and transport to cool New England nights. Thanks!
Congrats on top 9 Chef Dennis. I hadn’t stopped by this one, we have one of our munchkins deathly allergic to seafood so I tend to not be drawn to seafood recipes. Sad but true. My dad loved crab and clam chowder, he was from the maritimes so I grew up in a seafood home. This brings back memories of my Dad big time. Going to pop you an email this week. Been crazy busy but want to touch base. Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend. And your first week back at your lovely job.
Wonderful post as always! Great take on the original recipe!
Fabulous recipe swap! I’ve only had rabbit when I was tricked into eating it. You can’t go wrong with shrimp and crab chowder, GORGEOUS photos. Thanks for sharing, and congratulations on making top 9 again! =]
Nice swap. I’d eat rabbit stew if I had to. I would happily order this seafood delight. Great photo
congrats on Top 9! this chowder looks amazing! and seafood is always such a good meal option for me
The rabbit recipe reminded me of something my grandmother used to make, Welsh Rarebit. Thankfully, no rabbit involved whatsoever! The chowder looks awesome, I’m printing the recipe right now.
Thanks for choosing the chowder instead of the cute little fluffy bunny! I like the sound of the chowder recipe, just in time for soup and chowder season in Toronto!
What a great substitution for this month’s Vintage Recipe Swap! And with the temperatures starting to drop, a bowl of this sounds like the perfect comforting dish =)
Lovely…perfect for the end of summer. Congratulations on #1!!
Oh wow Dennis!! Congrats!
This is my kind of chowder! I love shrimp and crab…nice spin on the classic chowder you see. I have never been a huge fan of clam chowder so this is just screaming to me! Thanks for the recipe Chef!
It’s a dark and stormy day today here in the east, and this is the PERFECT thing! I love seafood and love how you combined the shrimp and crab in this chowder! Can’t wait to try this one…running to the kitchen now ! Thanks for a great recipe, Chef Dennis!
Potatoes and shrimp in one soup – awesome!
Hmm – I may be in the minority here, but I do actually love rabbit and is pretty easy to get a hold of here in Mexico so I may be trying that orginal recipe after all! Needless to say, this Shrimp and Crab chowder does look amazing and the recipe seem quite straight forward! Thanks for sharing!
wow, that looks and I’m sure tastes just wonderful! anne
What a beautiful chowder! A great top 9 for sure. Congrats!
The chowder looks beautiful and what a great way to interpret the challenge. Yum!
Omg, this chowder looks so scrumptious and heavenly and I would love a bowl right now! Thanks for another great recipe for the “Chef Dennis” file! 🙂 Yummm!
You knew this one would be a hit didn’t you? How could anyone resist a bowl of that? Chowder is my all time favorite soup!
I’m having a hard time even looking at these photos because I want to jump into that bowl! I’m starving…and I feel like I MUST have this. This chowder looks perfect.
This looks so nice! This dish is little too hot to try right now ( Oregon finally reaches 100 degree weather tomorrow) but definitely love to have in the chilly evening. Congratulations on top 9.
Why on earth would you cook the shrimp for 30 minutes?
You are right, and If I was in a restaurant I would add them as I heated each portion, but when your cooking at home and your making a big pot of soup, as in any soup or chowder, you cut the pieces up in small sizes so they aren’t so tough to chew. It’s pretty much the same with any seafood in soups or chowders, clams get tough too. While in a perfect world I would add them as well as the crab meat in before service, it’s just not practical at home, especially after a hard day at work.
This is one of my favorite soups and yours looks fantastic. I seriously wish I could grab that shrimp right off the top.
Ugh…my mom used to make us rabbit. Not my favorite night! I would have much preferred a big steaming bowl of this! Oh and your shrimp looks amazing. I’m so hungry now! I’ll be making this later this fall for sure. Thanks for a great recipe.
Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What’s For Dinner
Good morning! I have featured this recipe on my blog today for my weekly seafood round-up and have linked this recipe to your original post so that my readers will be forwarded to your site. Thank you for allowing me to share! Here is the link: http://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/seafood-frenzy-friday-week-39.html
Chef thank you for sharing this. There is a place reserved in my book for this. Made it tonight home run
thanks Paul, glad that you liked it!
Dennis,
I have 2 crabs and I want to put them in a chowder, how do you suggest I cook them?
E.g. Cook them in boiling water before and just add the cooked crab meat at the end?
I would steam the crabs and then put the cooked meat into the chowder