Corn Soup with Dungeness Crab
One of my favorite things in life is having an amazing dish at a restaurant and re-creating it at home! It’s such a great feeling to be inspired and to bring those amazing flavors to our home kitchen for our family to enjoy! My husband and I recently celebrated our 21st anniversary. We went to Napa for the weekend and had an amazing meal at a restaurant I’ve always wanted to go to, The Restaurant at Auberge Du Soleil. We each ordered a 4-course tasting menu which is always my favorite because I can never decide what to order with so many great options, nor do I want to. We try to say we’ll share but that doesn’t always go as planned. So, the tasting menu is always my pick if it’s available for a special meal.
Corn soup is one of those items I seem to gravitate toward, whenever it’s offered. There’s nothing better than fresh corn during the summer months. This Corn Soup with Dungeness Crab was inspired by our dinner that night, incorporating a few of my favorite “friends” of corn…pancetta and fresh Dungeness crab meat. I started by cutting the corn off the cobs and using the cobs to make my own corn stock. I’ve done this before and all I can say is it is worth the extra effort! You’ll get an amazing, intense amount of pure corn flavor and it will take your soup to the next level. Similar to using shrimp or lobster shells to make stock for a lobster bisque or clam chowder, it’s just a flavor that can’t be bought but it can definitely be tasted! This Corn Soup with Dungeness Crab will definitely impress!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Course
Soup
Cuisine
American
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
8 cobs of corn, cut off the cobs
1 bay leaf
5 peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 yellow onion, quartered
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
Leek, green tops (optional)
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 oz. pancetta, diced
1 shallot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
½ cup heavy cream
5 oz. lump Dungeness crab meat
Chives, minced for garnish
Instructions
Cut the corn off the cobs, reserving the cut corn in a bowl.
Make the corn stock: in a large stockpot, add the corn cobs, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic cloves, onion, celery, carrots, green tops of leeks (optional) and fill to cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
Simmer corn stock for about an hour, strain, discard corn cobs and all other veggies, reserving the stock, you should have about 5 cups.
In a sauté pan, over medium heat, add 1-2 Tbsp. of EVOO and add diced pancetta, cook until golden and crispy (about 5 mins). Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, add the diced shallot, sauté over medium-low for 3 mins, add the minced garlic and saute 1 min. Add a pinch of cayenne, corn kernels, salt, and pepper. Sautee together for 3-4 mins.
Reserve 1 cup of this corn mixture aside for plating.
Transfer the remaining corn mixture to a large pot or Dutch oven, add corn stock, and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Simmer for about 5 mins. to bring the flavors together. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
After cooled, add the stock to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
Add blended stock back to the large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add heavy cream and taste again for seasoning, adjust with salt and pepper if necessary.
In the bowl with reserved pancetta, add the reserved corn kernels and lump crab meat, mix to combine.
To plate, use a circular mold to fill with a spoonful of the corn, pancetta, crab mixture and carefully pour the soup around it, garnish with chives.