What can I say? I love chowders. Soup with a typically dreamy, creamy richness. And with the massive success of my classic New England Clam Chowder, I couldn’t pass up the chance to make a lush Corn Chowder.
But wait, there’s more. How about we add some crab to the mix? And since corn & crab go together wonderfully, I have devised the most wonderful and flavor-filled Corn & Crab Chowder ever to devour. (And if you hate seafood, I’ve designed it so you can totally leave it out).
Get those Instant Pots cranking, folks. It’s time to chow down on CHOWDAH!
Here’s How I Made It! (scroll to the bottom for the fully-written recipe):
Start with a shallot…
…and dice it up.
Now take half a red bell pepper…
…and do the same.
Don’t forget dicing up some celery and carrots too!
And then there’s our potatoes…
…which we’ll peel and also dice.
Let’s get this party started. Add some butter to the pot and heat it up.
Once melted…
…add in the veggies.
Stir them so they’re sautéing in the butter a few minutes…
…until they look like this.
Now add in some sherry wine…
…and some chicken (or vegetable or garlic) broth.
Stir until well combined.
Lastly, add in the potatoes…
…and a package of frozen sweet corn kernels.
Give it all a good stir…
…top off with bay leaves.
…and submerge them. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
While the soup’s cooking, create a cornstarch slurry that we’ll use to thicken it up to a chowder consistency. Take equal parts cornstarch…
…and water.
Mix together well..
…until nice and smooth
When the lid comes of the soup, it won’t look like a chowder…yet.
Remove those bay leaves (because no one wants to bite into one of those)…
…and bring the pot to a bubble.
Stir in the cornstarch slurry…
…and allow to bubble for a short moment before killing to heat. The soup will now have thickened into a chowder consistency. But now, for a few finishing touches.
Add in some cream…
…and give it a stir to give it that magical chowder color.
Time to “sea” how exciting this chowder can get (optionally). If you wish, take some crabmeat of your choice (a can of it is very cost-friendly and works great for this chowder).
…drain all the liquid from the can and add it to the chowder…
…stirring it in well.
Now let’s season it up with a few goodies such as seasoned salt…
…black pepper…
…Old Bay…
…and Zatarain’s Shrimp & Crab boil for spice (totally optional if you don’t want hints of spiciness).
Stir everything together until well combined…
…and it’s showtime! We’re ready to serve.
Ladle into some bowls…
..and perhaps top with some cornbread or honey butter croutons.
Now take some of that chowda…
…and DEVOWA! Simply the best of the best!
At the time of this post, Pressure Luck used Better Than Bouillon/Southeastern Mills for all soup bases and bouillon
Instant Pot Corn & Crab Chowder
If you crave a chowder loaded with crabs and corn, soup's on.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp of salted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- Half a red bell pepper, diced (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled & diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 pound of Idaho potatoes (about 2 of them), peeled and cut into small cubes
- 3 tbsp of cornstarch + 3 tbsp of water mixed together to form a slurry
- 3 cups of chicken, garlic or vegetable broth (3 cups of water + 3 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon, but you can also use Garlic or Vegetable)
- 1/4 cup of [Sherry wine}(https://amzn.to/2VCxfhT)
- 10oz pack of frozen sweet corn kernels (you can add another 5-10oz if you want it super corny – but only add the additional corn after pressure cooking as per the instructions)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup of heavy cream or half & half
- 1 tsp of seasoned salt
- 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
- Croutons (I used cornbread style) or oyster crackers, for topping
Give It Crabs (optional):
- 1-2 6oz cans of white or pink crabmeat, drained (optional if you don’t like seafood; you can also absolutely use about a 1/2 – 1lb of lump crabmeat or the meat from my Crab Legs)
- 1/2 – 1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning, for spice
- 1/8 – 1/2 tsp of Zatarain’s Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil, for a kick (Start with 1/8 tsp and see if the spice level is okay. Do NOT use more than 1/2 tsp. This stuff is a concentrate and goes a long way and it may become spice overkill!)
Instructions
- Add the butter to the Instant Pot and hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. When melted, add the onion, bell pepper, celery and carrot. Sauté for 3 minutes
- Add the broth, sherry, bay leaves, potatoes and corn. Stir well
- Secure the lid and hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release when done and remove the lid and discard the bay leaves
- Hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Sauté” on the “More” or “High” setting and bring to a bubble
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and let bubble for about 30 seconds before turning the heat off the pot – it will have thickened into a chowder consistency almost immediately. NOTE: If adding additional frozen corn, add it now too. Kill the heat after by hitting “Keep Warm/Cancel”
- Add the heavy cream and as you stir it will become a chowder color. Follow by adding the seasoned salt and pepper. If you wish to seafood it up, add in the crabmeat, the Old Bay and Zatarain’s and let warm in the heat of the soup for 2 minutes
- Ladle into bowls and top with some cornbread croutons or oyster crackers for a lovely crunch factor, if desired
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
If you hate seafood, leave out the crabmeat.
If you love seafood, you can even double the crabmeat! If you prefer lump crabmeat or the meat from my Crab Legs, use that instead of canned.
Want it super corny? Add up to another 10 oz pack of frozen corn kernels but only add it at the end when stirring in the crabmeat, cream and seasonings. The broth may be too thick otherwise while pressure cooking due to the flour.
Want it vegetarian? Use garlic broth or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and leave out the crab (unless you’re one of those vegetarians who also eat ocean treasures)
Donna
This is so amazing and easy. Thank you!
Patricia
This was so yummy made with crab leftover from your crab legs recipe. I cooked extra fir that purpose.
Gwen
I added some baby shrimp to mine. Homerun!!
Kenny Lee
Delicious, however, I think it needs more salt. And, I’m someone who generally shies away from salt.
TAHaye
I love this so much! It’s tasty, fast, and easy to make. Since we are super seafood lovers, I add some frozen cooked shrimp and another can of lump crab meat plus the other two cans to up the seafood ante. Yum!
Russell Leonard
This is very good, need to add a little more spice heat. So tobasco helps, but only a few drops
Jerry W stafford
Like all of Jeffrey’s recipes, they are easy and taste very good… I tried the corn and crab chowda last night… really good… thank you.
Jerry
Allen
Thanks for all your recipes I have followed you for sometime and always satisfied with the dishes. You have made me a fan and an Instant Pot fanatic.
sue
Love, love, love your recipes and cookbooks! Very well written and easy to follow. I wish you had the nutritional values to all your recipes. Since I am watching my intake on calories, fat and sodium it would be very much appreciated.
Thank you!
Erin
Did you use cooking sherry (with salt) when creating this recipe, or dry drinking sherry? Thank you for sharing all of your delicious creations with us!
Sara
Can I double this in a 6 Qt instant pot? If so, should everything be doubled? (Slurry etc)
Thanks!!
Sara
Jane Hall
OMGosh, this was AMAZING! Yes, I will make it again! I did go to Metro and bought 2 packs of frozen crab but it was totally worth it. Thank you for this Jeffery.
Jeffrey
I’m so glad you loved it!
Bettie J. Belcher
This is my favorite recipe for crab and corn chowder. I use it all the time for my seafood loving hubby. The only thing I do different is that I use Phillips Seafood Seasoning instead of Old Bay.
Jeffrey
I am honored that it’s your favorite!