A velvety and elegant seasonal chowder, topped with a generous serving of freshly picked snow crab meat.

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Crab season feels like spring’s yearly gift to me. Around the time I see asparagus appear at the market, I know crab’s right around the corner—and warmer days too. How can this lovely combination not make you happy?

To be honest, I’m a late bloomer when it comes to crab. I don’t love eating bone-in or shell-on meat and shellfish, so I wasn’t attracted by those spiky crab legs before a few years ago, when E requested making crab-leg dinners a spring tradition (he’s a huge fan). We buy the legs cooked and pulled from the bodies, so it’s not a messy affair at all, and having to crack your way to the sweet meat is a major part of the fun. Those dinners are so easy to setup: just get crab legs at the fish market, serve them with a green salad, and you’re done. I like my crab meat sprinkled with lemon juice, but E eats it plain. It’s true: the delightfully sweet, slightly salty taste of fresh snow crab shines bright on its own.

Because we are such crab fans, I also like to use it in simple recipes, so we can indulge as much as possible while the season lasts. When it comes to using snow-crab meat in recipes, the simpler, the better. Crab cakes are of course a classic, and we also love it in risotto and soups. This one is an interesting take on a classic chowder: the velvety broth is made with crab’s best buddies, corn and avocado, and it is brightly flavored with coconut milk, red curry paste, and coriander. Such aromatic ingredients need no time to develop into rich flavors, so the chowder comes together in less than 15 minutes. Simply ladle it into shallow bowls, top with a generous serving of freshly picked crab meat, and you’ve got the freshest and most elegant soup of the season.

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Curried Snow Crab, Corn, and Avocado Chowder

A velvety and elegant seasonal chowder, topped with a generous serving of freshly picked snow crab meat.

Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Cook Time:15 minutes mins

Total Time:20 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Author Marie Asselin (FoodNouveau.com)

Ingredients

• For the soup
• 1 tbsp 15 ml canola oil, or other healthy vegetable oil
• 1 leek white and pale green parts only, washed and sliced
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp 15 ml red curry paste
• 2 cups 500 ml fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 14- oz 398 ml can coconut milk
• 1 cup 250 ml fish or vegetable stock
• ½ cup fresh coriander stems chopped, and leaves picked (keep both separate)
• ½ avocado peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped (you’ll use the second half as garnish)
• ½ lime juice only (about 1 tbsp (15 ml))
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• To serve
• Meat picked from two sets of cooked snow crab legs about ¼ cup (60 ml picked meat per serving)
• ½ avocado peeled, pitted, and diced
• Green onion very thinly sliced

Instructions

• For the soup: In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Add the red curry paste and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the corn kernels, coconut milk, fish or vegetable stock, and chopped coriander stems. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Transfer the soup to a blender, add the first half of the avocado. Blend until the soup is smooth and creamy (make sure to hold the cover down with a towel to prevent any spills). Return the soup the saucepan. Add the lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve. If you prepare the soup in advance, reheat it gently before serving. Never bring the blended soup back to a full boil, it’s not necessary and it could alter the texture of the soup, which is meant to be served more warm than hot.
• To serve: Divide the warm soup between four shallow bowls. Top with picked crab meat, diced avocado, sliced green onion, and fresh coriander leaves. Serve immediately.
• Recipe Credit: Marie Asselin, inspired by a recipe from Kitchen Confidante.

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