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.
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.
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.
This is amazing!! Just like I had in a New Orleans restaurant I had last week!!!
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.
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!
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:-)!
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!
