Maryland Seafood Chowder

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup milk, cream cheese, and garlic in a large pot over low heat. Cook and stir until blended. Mix in soup, green onions, carrots, corn with liquid, potatoes, parsley, and remaining milk. Season with black pepper and cayenne pepper. Simmer 25 minutes. Do not boil.
• Mix the shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, calamari, and clams, and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until seafood is opaque.

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter; add the carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and corn and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are barely cooked, stirring occasionally. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
• Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. You can make up the difference with water or wine if you need to.

MARYLAND SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• 1. Saute onion, celery, carrot, and 2 cloves garlic in 2 Tabs olive oil until clear.
• 2. Transfer to large sauce pan or soup pot
• 3. Add bottled clam juice and potatoes
• 4. Simmer until potatoes are tender
• 5. Meanwhile, Saute shrimp, scallops and 1 clove garlic in same saute pan until barely cooked
• 6. Add all seafood and juices to the soup pot
• 7. sprinkle the crab seasoning on top of the pile of seafood in the pot
• 8. Make a roux out of the flour and remaining 2 Tab olive oil in the saute pan, incorporating any juices and bits from the seafood
• 9. Add half and half to the roux and stir until thickened
• 10. Gently stir half and half into the seafood mixture and simmer until seafood is cooked through

MARYLAND CRAB-SWEET CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a 2 qt saucepan, cook half of the whole kernel corn, the onion and garlic in hot cooking oil till onion is tender, not brown.
• Carefully add chicken broth.
• Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
• Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Stir in whipping cream, salt, and white pepper.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 10 min.
• or until slightly thickened.
• Watch carefully because it may foam and rise in pan.
• Remove from heat; cool slightly.
• Pour the cooled mixture into a blender container.
• Cover and blend until smooth.
• Return to same sauce pan.
• Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a small covered saucepan cook remaining corn and potato in boiling, salted water for two minutes.
• Add chopped sweet pepper.
• Cover and cook about 1 minute or til tender.
• Drain.
• Stir the drained vegetables into the soup.
• Add the fresh or frozen crab meat; heat through.
• If desired, garnish with parsley and red pepper strips.

NEW ENGLAND SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Sauté bacon in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until crispy, 3-4 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and place on a plate. Drain all but 1 Tbsp bacon grease from the pot. Add diced onions and celery to the bacon grease in the pot. Sauté over medium heat until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes. Saute 1-2 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add the flour and stir, cooking until the flour is completely moistened.
• Add the milk and increase the heat to medium. Heat the soup until it is steaming, but just before it starts to boil, stirring often. Keep the soup at this point until the potatoes are nearly tender, uncovered, 10 minutes. (Reduce the heat if the milk starts to foam.)
• Add the fish and other seafood, and corn. Add the cooked bacon back to the pot. Continue to heat, just below boiling for an additional 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Add the parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Chowder can be made a day ahead and re-heated to let the flavors come together a little more or it can be served immediately.

GRANDMA'S SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pot., In same pot, heat remaining butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually whisk in cream and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes., Stir in haddock, shrimp, peas and sautéed mushrooms; cook until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork and shrimp turn pink, 5-7 minutes. Add cheese, crab and pimientos; stir gently until cheese is melted. If desired, sprinkle servings with paprika.

KELLY'S KICK'N MD SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• 1. In a large skillet, saute shrimp with a little butter until they turn pink. This should take 5 minutes or less. Dice and set aside to add later.
• 2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Saute onions, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, and red potatoes.
• 3. Add to the veggie mixture 1 Tbsp of Old Bay, 1 tsp of Season All, a dash of garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp each of oregano, thyme, and basil.
• 4. Roux: Don't be intimidated, it's easy peasy. Sprinkle flour slowly over sauteed veggies while gently stirring (careful not to break up veggies). Stir from the bottom of the pan until all the flour is absorbed and bubbling.
• 5. Add 32 oz. chicken broth slowly stirring.
• 6. Once all the broth is added and there are no lumps of roux, allow this mixture to simmer about 15 minutes until the potatoes are mostly done. Stir this often from the bottom to avoid burning or sticking.
• 7. Once potatoes are mostly done, slowly add half and half stirring as you add. Start with 1 1/2 quarts.
• 8. Bring the chowder to a simmer. It will thicken as it simmers. The rest of the half and half can be added if it's too thick. NOTE: The optional milk and cream can be added if you want the chowder to be thinner like a soup. But remember, if adding additional milk/cream add additional seasoning. Don't be afraid to kick it up a notch.
• 9. Once the chowder is to desired thickness, add 2 cups of frozen corn and chopped chipotles (seeds removed) with a couple of tablespoons of the Adobo sauce. Reduce heat to a very low simmer for approximately 10 minutes as it continues to thicken. Remember stir from the bottom to avoid sticking.
• 10. Add additional Old Bay a tablespoon at a time. Be liberal with the Old Bay! Plus, salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes to see how you like the flavor.
• 11. Add a few dashes of Frank's Hot Sauce.
• 12. Gently mix in diced shrimp and crab meat trying not to break up the crab.
• 13. Add an additional tablespoon of butter and let rest 5+ minutes with the lid on the pot. Remove from the burner. Serve immediately with/without a dash of brandy.