Although it is usually some rare leftover cream that prompts me to make a fish or seafood chowder, there are also spicy fish soups south of the border. Some of these achieve a similar creamy effect, but by pureeing vegetables instead of adding cream. This corn and crabmeat soup gets that kind of result.
The ingredients include the usual Mexican mix of flavors, but without the addition of tomatoes, the crabmeat, a mild mannered food, is able to hold its own against the stronger flavors in the pot. The result makes a nice change from the usual fish or shrimp soup because the crabmeat shreds up, adding to the texture of the soup, along with the tortillas.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large or two small onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp minced, seeded jalapeno chile
1/3 tsp chili powder
3 15 oz. cans low salt corn
2 8 oz. bottles clam broth
4 cups water
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or 1 Tbsp cilantro pesto
1 6 oz. can crabmeat, picked over
Grated peel of one lime
Juice of one lime
6 fried tortillas cut into strips or 2 cups large white-corn chips
Directions
- Heat oil and cook onions, garlic, and jalapeno until onions wilt.
- Add chili powder and cook to blend.
- Add 1 and ½ cans corn, clam broth, water, cilantro and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Puree remaining 1 ½ cans corn in blender. Add to soup along with crabmeat, lime peel, and limejuice. Cook 15 minutes more.
- When ready to serve, put handful of corn strips or chips in each bowl and ladle soup on top.
