Corn-and-crab Chowder

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (6 ears)
• 1 lb fresh lump crabmeat, drained and picked over
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
• oyster crackers

Recipe

• 1 cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in dutch oven; crumble bacon.
• 2 saute celery and next 3 ingredients in hot drippings 5-6 minutes or until tender.
• 3 whisk together broth and flour until smooth; add to celery mixture; stir in corn.
• 4 bring to a boil; decrease heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
• 5 gently stir in crabmeat and next 4 ingredients; cook 4-5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• 6 serve warm with crumbled bacon and oyster crackers.
• 7 **1 lb peeled cooked shrimp or chopped cooked chicken may be substituted for the crab.