When you have an abundance of crabs...

Stop it people. I've had to hear crab jokes all week long. You know you like my crabs. You know you want my crabs. I have plenty to spare, and I've been sharing them with my friends, my roommates, everyone who is willing to take some crabs off my hands.

I recently received a slew of top secret Maryland crab recipes from my dear ol' Auntie, who was incidentally born and bred in Maryland (or was it born in D.C. hmmm). And one day I shall make said recipes using the what could be pounds of crab meat I've lef

t to pick from my crabs (only 40 left).

But tonight for dinner I got the biggest craving for crab chowder. I think my all time favorite soup could be New England Clam Chowder, but maying it's any creamy based soup, because this chowder was damn good. It's certainly the best chowder I've ever made: good creamy consistency, an obscene amount of crab, well cooked potatoes and celery and simply spiced. Harmony.

Below is the recipe, and unfortunately, since I cook based on taste and smell and look and feel, I don't really have a precise recipe (surprise surprise). So here's my best guestimate:

Kiyomi's Maryland Blue Crab Chowder

10 or so Maryland Blue crabs, de-shelled and meat picked (about 1 1/2 cups of meat, packed)

16 ounces of vegetable stock

About 1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cub cream

2 large potatoes or 5 small potatoes, peeled and cut in 1cm cubes

4 stalks of celery, cut on the diagonal

1/2 large white/yellow onion, diced

2 large cloves of garlic

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

cooking sake (or white wine)

Salt

Pepper

Bay Leaf

Place peeled and cubed potatoes in a quart pan filled with water. Turn on heat to medium high and let boil until potatoes are soft. In the meantime, cut other vegetables. In a medium stock pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, celery and bay leaf and stir for a few minutes. Once everything begins to brown, deglaze pot with a generous splash or two of sake and stir. Add in vegetable stock and turn up heat to medium high to achieve a light boil.

In a separate quart pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and create a roue by stirring in the flour and letting mixture cook. Slowly incorporate milk and stir until mixture thickens. Lower heat if mixture begins to boil. Stir in a few ladles full of broth from the vegetable mixture to the thickened milk and then pour the liquid back into the main pot.

Drain potatoes and add them to the mixture and let simmer until soup reduces and thickens. Mix in crab meat and cream. Season to taste.

Serves 4