Like its more famous clam-based cousin, this tomato-rich Manhattan-style chowder is lighter in texture than the creamy New England version but bolder in flavor. In addition to being virtually fat-free, this crab chowder is ridiculously easy to make and uses flavorful, economical claw meat instead of the much pricier lump or backfin varieties.
Bags of frozen vegetable soup mix can be found with the frozen vegetables and produce excellent results. They're a real timesaver, too, since all the picking, peeling, and chopping is already done. You can use just about any brand -- just be sure you choose 'soup vegetables' (which are diced) rather than the much chunkier 'stew vegetables'.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups V-8 vegetable juice or equivalent
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lb frozen vegetable soup mix with tomatoes (see Cook's Note)
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, lightly crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce (optional)
- 2 cups canned claw crab meat (picked over to remove any shell or cartilage)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Preparation:
In a soup pot or large saucepan, combine the vegetable juice, water, vegetable soup mix, paprika, thyme, black pepper, and the hot pepper sauce (if desired).
Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat and gently stir in the crab meat and parsley. Let crab heat through for a couple of minutes, then adjust salt before serving.
Makes 4-6 servings of Manhattan Crab Chowder.
Cook's Note The frozen soup mix I used contained diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, okra, corn, green beans, lima beans, onions, and celery. You can use any similar blend (it doesn't have to be exact), but if yours doesn't have tomatoes, add 1/4 cup drained diced tomatoes about halfway through the cooking.