Corn Chowder with Crab Stuffed Flounder
Corn Chowder with Crab Stuffed Flounder
Working with What Ya Got
By Hillery S.
No sighs, please. I know some of you are probably saying why would anyone do a food article or blog these days on something as simple as corn chowder. Well, to be honest I was stuck with a ton of grilled corn that was brought to me for Labor Day and I didn’t want it to go to waste. It’s called “working with what ya got” people. Aside from that if you keep reading you’ll find out how I added some pizzazz and pointers to a classic soup.
The Corn chowder was a perfect match with the chilly weather, but was missing something. This was my Iron Chef moment. I decided to add flounder stuffed with crab to the menu. The results were terrific. Complimented with a glass of Viognier. Even better. The chowder was slightly sweet, light and airy and was an excellent pair with the fish. The flounder was mild in flavor, not fishy in the least bit and was the perfect wrapping to the cheesy and savory crab stuffing.
Fire lights under my skillet and within minutes the smell of delicious bacon fills the air. The smell of beef bacon sizzling in the evening alone, reminds me of why it’s such a classic.
After dinner I surprised my hubby with a couple of gourmet desserts from a
local bakery. I got one chocolate mousse cup and a mini pumpkin cheese cake. The perfect finish to such a light and refreshing meal.
Pssst! If you’re truly crunched for time you can either buy already pre-made stuffed flounder (preferably from a specialty grocery store). Or you can even make the corn chowder and crab stuffing a day in advance. The recipes might look long but it’s easy peazzy. Go ahead and surprise that special someone.
Putting your own twist to an old or classic recipe gets you out of the rut of doing the same old, same old, but doesn’t have to complicate a busy schedule. Here’s what I did.
Corn Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
* 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
* 2 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat (you can replace w/ 1/2 Tbsp of butter for vegetarian option)
* 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
* 1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
* 1 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
* 3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved
* 1 bay leaf
* 3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low-fat
* 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
* 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced
* Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Cooking Instructions
Step 1: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step if you don’t want to use bacon & just add more butter) and fry until the bacons’ fat renders (You do not want the butter to brown), 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot, red pepper, celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.
Step 2: After removing the corn from the cob, break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Allow it to come to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer (make sure you have it on low; you don’t want your ingredients to scold).
Step 3: Remove the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, fresh ground pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon of salt, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.
Step 4: Raise the heat, add the corn kernels. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Crab Stuffed Flounder Recipe
Ingredients
* 2 pounds flounder fillets
* 1 cup crabmeat – drained, (w/ cartilage removed & flaked)
* 1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Cracked black pepper, to taste
* 4 crushed saltine crackers
* 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
* ½ cup pepper jack cheese (shredded)
* 1 large egg white
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 egg yolk
* 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Directions
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse the fillets and pat excess water with paper towels.
Step 1: Combine crab meat, green pepper, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, egg white, salt, black pepper, the crushed saltines, and pepper jack cheese. Combine the egg white and mayonnaise. Stir this into the crab meat mixture.
Step 2: Cup fish in hand and spoon the mixture onto the fish, wrap the fish entirely around the mixture. Place in a lightly greased, shallow baking dish. Step 3: Bake the fillets at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Step 4: While the fish is baking, drizzle the remaining butter over the stuffed flounder fillets and lightly sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
Step 5: Turn the temperature up to 450 degrees and bake until golden and bubbly, for roughly 6 minutes.
After preparing the two dishes separately, I ladled the chowder into a shallow bowl, placed the stuffed flounder in the mist, garnishing the top of the fish with crispy bacon ( I coiled the bacon for presentation).
All I can say is mm-mm-mmm!
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