Creole Crab and Corn Chowder

If I had made the recipe as is, I would have given it 3 stars at the most, because with that amount of jalapeno in it, I think it would have been inedible. Just to clarify, I like it hot, I'm no wimp. I add extra hot sauce to almost everything and ask for extra spicy at Thai restaurants. But this would be over the top hot and wouldn't allow for enjoying the flavor of that very expensive crabmeat. Luckily I watched Chef John's video so I made some changes based on what he mentioned. For the liquid, I used 8oz. clam juice and 1 1/2 cup water. I chopped a half cup of green bell pepper then one large jalapeno (2 Tbsp). Half&Half was in the fridge so I used that. With those changes, it was outstanding with a rich broth, the flavor of the crab came shining through and it was still plenty Creole-spicy! This was a wonderful way to use up the leftover crabs...after picking, I had close to a pound and you bet, I put it all in!

Great soup, extremely flavorful and pretty easy to make! I did think it a bit too spicy though. I knew using all jalapenos would be more heat than I could handle so I used the milder Anaheim pepper instead. It was still a little hotter than I would have preferred. It wasn't the heat itself that was the problem, but that the level of heat overpowered the flavor of the crab. I added some milk to tone it down a bit which helped, but I think if I made it again I'd replace half of the chili pepper with plain bell peppers. Pretty yummy soup though! Hearty and full flavored.

I agree with review number 3. The chowder is WAY too spicy and takes away the taste of the crab. I only used 3/4 of a jalapeno pepper and the rest green bell pepper and it was still too spicy to taste the $12 worth of crab meat that I put into the recipe. I will probably use this recipe again with several alterations of my own. The basics of the recipe is good, but unless you absolutely love a lot of spice, don't use the hot peppers.

Chef John- Another great recipe. I'm glad that I watched your video before making this - although the directions are ok, watching those extra observations of yours help me big time in the timing of the steps. I swapped out the celery for Red Bell Peppers, split the jalapeno amount between a jalapeno and a serrono pepper, up the cayenne to three pinches and went 1/3 cup of heavy cream, used all chicken stock for the liquid, added 8 oz of lump crab. Served it with Sweet Cornbread. Family went nuts.....love it big time.

This is amazing!! Just like I had in a New Orleans restaurant I had last week!!!

Cutting back to half on the jalapeno whilst substituting regular green pepper for the remainder lets the other succulent flavours come through nicely without the jalapeno overpowering, and there's still plenty of heat to be had too when garnishing with cayenne. Fresh crab is the only way to go if you can get it. Made this five or 6 times now, I live on the NW Pacific ocean so fresh crab isn't a cost concern..just a bit of work. Also, when fresh corn is in season here I'll grill and scrape off the cobs just to kick it up even more. And although it was good the first time following the recipe to the letter, now I always use a good low sodium organic chicken broth instead of plain water and avoid adding any other salt. This is so good I double the recipe everytime....must have leftovers if possible :-)!

The next time I make this, if I do, I won't use a 1/2 cup of jalapenos. That just seemed like heat for the sake of heat. It also buried the paprika & Old Bay. I'll keep it for inspiration.

Lol. I haven't made this yet but definitely in my "on deck" list. Y'all know that removing the seeds and ribs from the jalapeños tames the heat,yeah? Know your ingredients!

Don't listen to those who used green pepper instead of jalapeno. This recipe is delicious with them. As a matter of fact, it would be inedibly bland without them. I served it with jalapeno cheese cornbread for an extra kick!

This was really good. I used a red pepper in place of the jalapeno b/c we don't like things too spicy and kids were eating it. I used one can of chicken broth and the rest water for flavor per the video and only a pinch of the cayenne for our taste. Since it is corn season I used fresh corn (7 ears) and it was great, although I might try 8 ears next time. I will try frozen in the winter months. I could not find fresh crab in my town so I had to use a high quality can (Miller Select Special White) 6.5 oz and it was plenty of crab for the soup.

I was hoping for a little bolder flavor; especially with the jalapeños and substitution of seafood stock for 50% of the water. If I make it again, I'll use roasted poblano peppers and jalapeños. Simple enough to make, though.

I made this tonight. It was awesome! I didn't use jalapeños. I used green pepper. Everywhere that the recipe used water, I used chicken broth. I added 2 bay leaves to it while it simmered and removed them before serving.

We loved this. I used just jalapenos and most of the heat cooked out leaving the soup slightly spicy. Given the cost of crab and how much I loathe picking crab, I may try to do this recipe with shrimp or bay scallops. We have great corn here so I always freeze some just for using in corn chowders.

This was a hit. Made it for everyone at work and most everyone had seconds. Don't be afraid of the jalapeños. I used 3 jalapeños that I seeded and deveined. I added red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp of cumin and a few dashes of Tabasco. No one complained about the spice and everyone thought it was perfect. Topped each serving with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced green onion. Thanks Chef John. Another home run.

This was delicious! I had to omit the jalapeño pepper since I can't handle the spice, but the flavor was fabulous anyway. I added shrimp and the whole pot was gone in a flash. I served it with fresh cornbread. I will make this again for sure. Next time I'm going to try it with fish. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.

This was great. Medium spicy when made as directed. Husband loved it and no leftovers.

Very bland. I ended up adding chicken bouillon cubes to it and that helped a lot. I also ended up pureeing all the vegetables to give the broth more flavor. There also wasn't enough crab so I added another 4 oz. Next time I will make it with chicken broth instead of water and double the crab.

Easy to make. Both my hubby and son liked it. I used some flank crab and some leg crab. Next time I will only use the leg crab.

I really like this soup. I used fresh dungeness crab and did not feel the peppers masked the flavor. Although, it was a bit to spicy for me, it wasn't for my husband. I will probably use half the amount of jalapeno next time and use some of the other suggestions posted.

I made this without the jalpenos. I had some friends over and everyone said it was good. I used bell peppers instead. If it really is as spicy as other reveiewers say i look forward to making it to its full potential one day. I like hot food. I also left out the cayenne pepper so it was just crab and corn chowder I suppose, no creole:-)

Fantastic! I did not add/change a thing! The people who thought it was too "hot/spicy"; just reduce the heat/spice to your taste - no reason to slam this recipe. Thank you Chef John - for an authentic bit of Creole cooking. Much appreciated.

I made this and used 1/4 teaspoon of jalapeño powder and it was plenty spicy! Otherwise used rest of ingredients as stated and we enjoyed it with fresh biscuits.

After reading everyone's reviews, i decided to omit the hot, spicy items. I finely chopped a large bell pepper, and we all loved it so much! This is definitely one to make again. Play with the recipe and make it your own.

Very easy to make. I did use canned crab and 1 8oz. Package of imitation lobster meat and it came out wonderfully. I might also add cajun seasoning next time instead of the seafood seasoning. A definite must make again!

It was delicious, just not 5 stars. After watching the video, I only used half a jalapeño pepper and the rest was bell pepper. I used fresh corn , and it made a difference. I found the flavor to be a little bland, but with a kick. I then added a little extra salt, black pepper, and a dusting of celery salt. Served it with bread.

This recipe was okay but kind of bland and it didn't really taste "southern" to me.

Wow, made this for Mardi Gras . Wasn't sure how it would turn out since I used frozen corn and store (Colorado) only had canned lump crab, but it was great. I didn't want to over spice my kids so used about 1/2 of a large jalapeno and rest all chopped green pepper. I really like how this turned out and the blending of corn /garlic is genius.

Really good recipe. I made the following adjustments. Added 2 medium sized potatoes. 3 teaspoons of old bay seasoning. Added 1 tablespoon of sugar Suggest you adjust jalapenos according to taste. As some jalapenos are hotter than some. Will definitely do this recipe again.

Good base recipe but I changed it up just a tad to my liking. I cut the crab back to about 3 oz total so that it didn't overwhelm the corn (it's summer so I grilled fresh sweet corn and wanted that to be a bit more of the star of the dish). I used chicken broth instead of water (as suggested), doubled the cream and the celery, mixed in equal parts red, yellow & orange sweet peppers with one jalapeno (to soften the bite a bit), used only one garlic clove and doubled the cream. Absolute home run with our dinner guests.

Followed the recipe & didn't change a thing beside doubling up on the jalapenos. Came out great and everyone loved it. My family loves HOT. No left-overs!

I normally make the recipes as listed the first time, but thought this would be a good chance to sub in seafood base for the water. It worked out well for a stronger flavor. I also added some leftover boiled crawfish tails from the freezer to give it a little more protein ;) As far as the heat is concerned, I wonder if those giving negative reviews de-veined the jalapenos correctly. I used three and it was hot, but not overwhelming. I was doubtful about jalapenos in a "creole" dish, but it tastes fine. All in all, it was easy to make and worth making again.

This meal is to die for delicious. Yummy comfort food with the right amount of heat. Love the creaminess that the purée adds. I used frozen corn and canned Blue Star crab. Can’t wait until this summer to use fresh corn and fresh crab. I brought extras to my neighbors and they also raved about it. Another home run, Chef John!

We thought this was way way to hot! Heating up that much Jalapeno peppers just wipes out all taste! Ma. Everyone herer thinks its too spicy.

Make sure to use real crab.

I was looking for a chowder recipe to make with left over seafood from a seafood boil I hosted this past weekend. I made the recipe exactly except along with crab, I added shrimp, lobster and scallops. It is the best chowder I have ever had! Chef John is the best. I've made lots of his recipes , and they are all fantastic!

All the suggestions made in the comments were on target. Thanks to all. I made the modification because I'm a wimp when to comes to hot food. I used no "hot" ingredients, but a teaspoon of black pepper and it was enough for us wimps.

Way too hot for us! Only used 1 jalapeno pepper and the rest sweet pepper, still extremely hot for our family, will let this one go. 1st recipe of chef Johns that we didn't like.

Absolutely Fantastic! Left out the jalapeños because one family member dislikes them. So, I added more Old Bay and cayenne pepper. Sautéed onions in 2 pieces of slab bacon, because I’m from the South. Otherwise, followed the recipe as is and I will definitely not only have this in August, but also on a cold winter day! It’s a staple now! Just Yummy! Thanks, Chef

just made it. I cut the jalapeños in have, removed the seeds and ribs and the heat was just perfect. I also substituted chicken broth for the water and cajun seasoning for the old bay. Loved it - will make this again.

Just ok! I love Chef John's recipes but this one did not make the mark and I followed the recipe to a T.

A little spiced, but good. Watch out for those jalapeños.