Gramma Neil’s Low Country Chowder
Recipe courtesy of Landon Moorhead
My grandparents had a house on Pawley’s Island when I was growing up. Every summer we would go crabbing so Gramma could make this chowder. I still laugh thinking about those live crabs in the kitchen. If you don’t like seafood or are on a tight budget, you can omit the crab,
Old Bay, and sherry, and substitute a ¼ tsp. of thyme, it’s just as good! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 strips bacon
1 large onion
2 c. potatoes, peeled, diced
4 large ears of sweet corn, shucked
1 c. water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning* (My secret ingredient. I add an extra 1/3 tsp. of spicy Montreal seasoning when I really want to spice it up!)
3 c. milk
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
½ c. cream
1 lb. crabmeat (checked for shell pieces)
sherry, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Cut corn off the cob, set aside. In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp, remove bacon. Add onions and potatoes in pan and brown until onions are tender. Add water, bouillon, bay leaf, Montreal steak seasoning, Old Bay and corn. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. In a separate container, mix milk and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly stir mixture into chowder until thick. Add cream, crabmeat and sherry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with crumbled bacon.
TIDBIT
Beyond the Bay
More than 75 years ago, people from Baltimore first sampled the zesty herb and spice blend known as “Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning” and since that time, crab and shrimp aficionados have sworn by it to flavor their seafood, and just about everything else! But while the unique taste stuck with them, fortunately, the name didn’t. Instead, a steamship line that traveled the Chesapeake between Maryland and Virginia inspired a new name for the product and Old Bay Seasoning was well on its way to becoming a legend. The flavor that once belonged solely to the Chesapeake Bay area has spread worldwide, and to this day, Old Bay is still produced in Maryland to its original exacting standards, its yellow and blue tin has become an icon, and its distinct flavor is widely accepted as the ultimate seafood companion.
