Crab Chowder with Cheddar Bay Biscuits
While I’m counting the days until spring I’m still enjoying cozy soups and stews and this crab chowder is no exception! Filled with fresh herbs to compliment the crab and topped with buttery, Old Bay-seasoned cheddar biscuits it makes the perfect lunch or dinner for those chilly afternoons and evenings!
Each mouthful of this velvety chowder is packed with a hearty serving of potatoes, celery, onions and lump crab meat and the addition of bite-sized, melt-in your mouth cheddar biscuits makes it a meal that is sure to please any palate!
What’s more both the crab chowder and the cheddar Bay biscuits are superb on their own so feel free enjoy the chowder without biscuits or to add these biscuits as a side for any of your favorite meals or on their own!
tips for the best crab chowder
- For best results, use a roux. This recipe uses a roux not just as a thickener but also for flavor! While making a roux you toast flour and butter together, making the flavors warm while adding just a touch of sweetness that gives a warming richness that every chowder recipe needs
- Use fresh herbs! Dried herbs although more convenient are sometimes not as potent as their fresh counterparts and also do not impart that garden-like, farm-to-table taste you’ll get when using fresh herbs.
- For the biscuits, leave chunks of butter in your dough. When baked, these pockets of butter release steam giving us flaky layers.
a note on substitutions
- For bacon, opt for a substitute that can render some fat if possible. For example, instead of traditional pork bacon you can swap in turkey bacon or turkey thigh.
- Dairy free substitutions are easy! Try swapping in full fat coconut milk or creamy oat milk for heavy cream and your favorite vegan butter or olive oil for butter in your roux.
- For the roux, use your favorite gluten free flour if needed. I like this one by King Arthur since it can be swapped in for equal portions.
A play on a traditional pot pie with garden-fresh flavors complementing the delicate taste of crab, this crab chowder is bound to be a family favorite!
Equipment
- 3 10 oz oven safe bowls or cocottes
- 1 large saucepan
Ingredients
Crab Chowder
- 3 cups seafood broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup crab meat
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 small russet potato, cubed
- ¼ TBSP yellow onion, diced about ½ of a small onion
- ¼ cup celery, diced about 4-5 stalks
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 1 ½ TBSP garlic, minced about 4 cloves
- ⅓ cup curly parsley leaves, chopped about 8-10 stems
- ⅓ cup dill, chopped about 8-10 stems
- 2 TBSP thyme leaves about 5-6 sprigs
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce optional
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 TBSP granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 6 TBSP unsalted butter plus extra for brushing on top
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup sharp cheddar, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉
- Prepare biscuit dough by combining all the dry ingredients (flour, granulated sugar, Old Bay seasoning, sharp cheddar, baking powder & baking soda) then rubbing in butter until the flour mostly resembles bread crumbs with some chunks of butter.Add buttermilk and knead until flour is fully combined. Cover and set aside.
- Start on the chowder by making the roux – combine the butter and flour in a saucepan over medium high heat until caramel in color. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Wipe saucepan clean then add bacon under medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly crisp (about 3 minutes).
- Add vegetables and herbs (garlic, onion, dill, parsley, celery, thyme) to saucepan and sauté until onions are translucent and herbs fragrant.
- Add seafood broth, potatoes, roux and crab meat and allow to simmer and thicken – stirring as needed to evenly incorporate roux.
- Stir in heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper then distribute evenly into cocottes or oven safe bowls.
- Tear biscuit dough into quarter-sized balls and add on top of chowder to cover. Brush with melted butter then bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden.
