Chesapeake Chowder & Montrachet

Chesapeake Chowder is my Mid-Atlantic spin on crab & corn chowder. A big bowl of this creamy comfort soup paired with a Montrachet (100% Chardonnay from Burgundy) is sure to please your palate and warm your soul on a cool rainy night.
The minerality of Burgundian Chardonnay’s are a lovely pairing with the briny, crabmeat. I like to pair this dish with a coastal Chardonnay to bring in a touch of salinity and minerality to the pairing. If you want to keep it local, I highly recommend a bottle of Chatham Vineyards “Steel” Chardonnay from Virginia’s Eastern Shore. After all, if it grows together, it generally goes together.

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Recipe: Chesapeake Chowder 

Ingredients

6 strips Smithfield bacon (diced)
1 small yellow onion (fine dice)
4 red potatoes unpeeled (small dice)
2 tbsp. salt (only use 1 tblsp. if you use regular chicken stock)
1 tbsp. pepper
2 tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc)
8 oz bottled clam juice (you can find this in most grocery stores in the seafood section)
8 oz low sodium chicken stock
2 cups half & half
½ cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp. Herbs de Provence
1 16 oz bag frozen white corn (white corn is sweeter)
1 can creamed corn
1 lb lump crabmeat (Chesapeake Bay preferred)
2 tbsp. butter

Directions

  1. Dice bacon and brown over medium heat in large stock pot (8-10 minutes)
  2. Remove from pan, set aside.
  3. Add diced onion and potatoes to bacon fat and cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add salt, pepper and herbs de provence.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons flour and mix. Add ¼ cup white wine and deglaze pan. Add clam juice, chicken stock and half & half.
  5. Gently fold in crab meat and corn, then add parsley and butter. Let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes and serve.