Crab Chowder

Inspired by Maryland-style crab chowder, that is so popular in this region, here's my take on the recipe.

First, make the broth:

Get one large dungeoness crab or a few clusters of king crab legs and remove all the meat. Set this aside for later. Rinse off all the crab shells if necessary, remove the dead-mens fingers from the whole crab, and place them in a sauce pot. Add three carrots, roughly chopped, 3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped, 1 onion cut into quarters, a few crushed garlic cloves, 1 tbsp. of black peppercorns, 1 tsp. of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover this all with cold water -- have the water come no more than an inch or so over the top of all the ingredients.

Bring the water slowly up to a low boil, cover, and set the heat to low. Let it simmer for 1-2 hours. Then strain out all the veggies and shells, and let the broth sit so any remaining sediment falls to the bottom of the pot. Place all the clear, sediment free liquid back into a pot (pour it through cheesecloth if you want it pristine), and begin to build your chowder.

Add 2-3 tbsp. of tomato paste to the broth and stir it well until it dissolves. Add the crab meat, and then whatever veggies you like. They should all be chopped into small bite-sized pieces. I love using spinach or kale, zucchini, string beans, carrots, and whatever else I happen to have lying around the fridge.

Let this boil slowly for 30-45 minutes so the flavors meld and the broth reduces a little (which concentrates the tomato flavor). Before serving, taste to make sure there's enough salt (don't add anymore until this point -- the reduction of the broth will concentrate the salt that you've already added and that is in the tomato paste) and pepper. You can garnish with a dollop of pesto if you'd like.

Enjoy!