Seafood Chowder

We went to the beach this past weekend and my husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law caught a few crabs. I guess no one felt like picking at the crabs when there were three pounds of shrimp and a hundred steamers to munch on so I needed to find a recipe to use them up. There were a few shrimp left as well, so I decided to make a seafood chowder (despite the warm weather).

This recipe, or rather the inspiration for this recipe, came to me from my mother-in-law who owns a daycare center. They had put together a cookbook one year and one of the mother's submitted this delicious soup. The original recipe was a little too rich for me so I have dumbed it down quite a bit. I am all for splurging once in a while, but a quart of cream, a quart of half and half, and a stick of butter was more than even I could take! The recipe comes together very easily. My mother-in-law likes to serve it in bread bowls when she has the time to make them. I prefer to just get a crusty loaf of bread as I am not a huge fan of the bread bowl...

This may be a little runnier than most people make their chowder (the original recipe does use flour as a thickener), but I prefer it this way. If I have it on hand, I will add a fresh firm white fish as well.

2 T Butter

2 T Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion Chopped

2 Stalks Celery Chopped

2 Cups Heavy Cream

2 Cups Whole Milk

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup Dry White Wine

1 lb Crab Meat

1 lb Cooked Shrimp

2 Cups Corn

1/2 t White Pepper

Salt to Taste

2 t Old Bay Seasoning (optional)

In a large stock pot, sautee the onion and celery in the butter and olive oil until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and slowly cook over very low heat until it just comes to a simmer (do not boil).