Alaskan King Crab Chowder

Description

This Nordic seafood chowder is warm, cozy, and full of flavor from a homemade seafood stock. While there are many variations of Nordic chowder, when researching I found that many chowders use egg yolks and heavy cream to thicken the stew. Here, I combine creamy skyr, egg yolks, and heavy cream. It’s rich, but not heavy, and is well balanced by the sweet-salty flavor of Alaskan king crab. 

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients
1
Pre-cooked Giant Alaskan King Crab
leg, thawed (7.5 oz)
1
Onion
chopped, peels saved for stock
1
Carrot
chopped, peels saved for stock
4
cloves Garlic
chopped, peels saved for stock
1/2
Fennel bulb
chopped, fronds and tougher bits saved for stock
1/2 cup
Fresh dill
1/8 tsp
Whole black peppercorns
1
Bay leaf
1 cup
Clam juice
2 cup
Water
3 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup
Dry white wine
8 ounces
Yukon gold potatoes
cut into cubes
2/3 pounds
White fish, such as cod
cut into 1 inch chunks
Fresh dill
handful, chopped
1
Egg yolk
room temp
1/4 cup
Heavy cream
room temp
1/4 cup
Icelandic Provisions Traditional Plain Skyr
room temp
For Serving:
Warm, crusty bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Icelandic Provisions Traditional Plain Skyr
Recipe
Make the
Twist apart the sections of the crab leg. Use seafood or kitchen shears to cut through the shell down the middle of each leg segment. Open each shell fully to reveal the meat, then use a regular fork or a crab fork to extract the meat.
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces then set aside (you will use the meat for the chowder). You should have about 4 ounces of crab meat.
Place all stock ingredients (vegetable peels, dill, whole black peppercorns, bay leaf, clam juice and water) in a medium dutch oven or pot, including the crab shells.
Bring stock to a boil and skim off any scum from the surface of the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Strain stock through a fine mesh sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. You should have just about 2 cups liquid; if you have less, add additional water to make 2 cups stock.
Make the
Wipe the stock pot clean, then add the olive oil and set to medium heat over the stove. Saute the onion, carrot, garlic, and fennel for 11 to 13 minutes until soft and translucent. Season with salt and black pepper.
Add 1/2 cup wine and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking until liquid reduces by half.
Add the homemade stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are mostly cooked through and can be pierced with a fork, but still have some give. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream-egg mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, heavy cream, and skyr together until smooth and homogenous (no lumps should remain). Set aside.
Reduce the heat of the pot to a simmer, and gently stir in the reserved crab meat and white fish. Add in half of the dill. Simmer until the crab meat is warmed through and the fish is cooked, about 2 minutes.
Turn the heat off (this prevents the egg and skyr from curdling). When the stew is still hot, but no longer bubbling, slowly stir in the cream-egg mixture until combined. The fish is delicate, so be gentle when stirring. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with warm crusty bread. Divide stew among serving bowls, topping with extra dill and a drizzle of olive oil. If desired, dollop each bowl with a bit more skyr.

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