Corn Soup With Crab and Spring Herb Salad
Chef John Ash

Serves 4

This healthy recipe calls for crab but you could use whatever sweet shellfish is available to you such as lobster or shrimp. If you wanted to go “whole hog” you could of course garnish with a squiggle of crème fraîche, top with caviar, etc.! To maximize flavor add chopped crab shells to the chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes before straining and adding to the soup.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups chopped onion (1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 cups or so fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 whole star anise or bay leaf
Big pinch saffron threads soaked for 15 minutes in 1/4 cup water
5 cups defatted chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound fresh Dungeness or lump crabmeat, picked over
Herb salad (recipe follows)
Smoked extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

In a deep saucepan or soup pot heat the butter over moderate heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook till soft but not brown, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the corn, star anise and saffron and continue to cook and stir for another 5 minutes or until corn is very tender.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Discard the star anise or bay leaf and puree in a blender being careful to do so at lower speed and with blender jar only half filled (hot liquids expand dramatically so be careful!). You’ll need to do this in batches.

Strain the soup through a medium mesh strainer pushing down on the solids and return to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and reheat. Ladle into warm soup bowls, spoon crab into the center and top with the herb salad. Drizzle smoked olive oil around and serve immediately.

Herb Salad

This is not a specific recipe but an approach. If you can find spicy micro greens in your market by all means use them. If not any combination of the youngest, smallest herbs you can find is what we’re looking for, such as chives, chervil, cress, mint, etc. Simply take a lightly packed cup of the micro greens or herbs or a combination and toss with a little olive oil, drops of lemon juice and a light seasoning of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

John Ash © 2010