Dungeness Crab and Corn Chowder Recipe
Dungeness crab chowder combines sweet picked crab with potatoes, corn, aromatics and a creamy broth. This consolidated Pacific Northwest-style recipe replaces the overlapping generic crab-and-corn chowder page and keeps the Dungeness intent in one stronger URL.
Shop: Dungeness Crab Meat | Dungeness Crab Clusters | Dungeness Crab Collection
Ingredients
Serves: 4–6 | Total time: about 45 minutes
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- 8–12 oz cooked Dungeness crab meat, drained and checked for shell
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 cups seafood stock or low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
- 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 tsp Old Bay, optional
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Chives or parsley
How to Make Dungeness Crab and Corn Chowder
- Melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and celery for 6–8 minutes until softened; add garlic for 1 minute.
- Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in warm stock. Add potatoes and simmer until tender, about 10–12 minutes.
- Add corn and cook for 3–4 minutes. For a thicker chowder, partially blend a small portion of the potato-and-corn base while leaving most of it chunky.
- Reduce heat, stir in cream and season with thyme, Old Bay if using, salt and pepper. Keep at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil.
- Fold in the cooked Dungeness crab and lemon juice at the end. Warm gently for 2–3 minutes; prolonged cooking can dry the crab.
- Serve with chives or parsley and crusty bread.
Picked Meat or Clusters?
Picked Dungeness crab meat is the easiest format because it goes directly into the chowder. Clusters also work after the meat is removed; shells can be reserved for stock.
Make Ahead and Storage
For the best texture, make the potato-and-corn base ahead and add the cream and cooked crab while reheating. Reheat gently and avoid repeated boiling. For broader seafood storage guidance, see How to Store Crab.
Chowder vs. Bisque
Chowder remains chunky with potato, corn and crab. Bisque is smoother and can use a shell-based stock. For the Dungeness version, see Dungeness Crab Bisque with Crab Shell Stock.
Variations
Bacon
Cook diced bacon first and use a small amount of the rendered fat with the butter; reserve crisp bacon for garnish.
Roasted Pepper
Add diced roasted red pepper with the aromatics and a small amount of smoked paprika if desired.
Other Crab Species
Snow or king crab can be substituted, but this page is intentionally optimized around Dungeness. For choosing another species, use How to Choose Crab for Your Recipe.
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