Sinepuxent Receipts – Corn and Crab Stew Delmarva

August is a time of harvesting some of the best of Delmarva’s bounty. My offering to Salisbury News for this week is one of my favorites. When I think of hot summer time I think of Delmarva’s white sweet corn and Eastern Shore blue crabs. In a summer stew the two marry well together and the lump crab adds a special sweetness to the pot.

Corn and Crab Stew Delmarva

(Serves 12)

6 slices thick-sliced bacon

8 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. Old Bay

1/8 tsp. cayenne

5 large or 18 small new red potatoes

6 ears of local white sweet corn

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper

¾ cup heavy cream

½ tsp. yellow mustard

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 lb. jumbo lump blue crab (check for shell)

Begin husking corn by cutting stem end of the cob with a sharp knife to expose corn kernel. Make slit through the husk from one end to the other, cutting deep enough to also cut the corn. Then remove husk. Grab all silk at once and remove. Continue to pull off stray silk and cut out any brown spots, but do not wash corn. In a large kettle, bring water up to bottom of steam rack. Set heat to medium-high and bring water to a boil. Place cobs on steam rack, cover with lid and steam corn for 11 minutes. Remove from heat, placing cobs on large platter to cool.

Cut bacon in ¼ to ½ inch and sauté in a small stew kettle until just done. Remove bacon and add chicken broth, Old Bay, cayenne and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Undercook potatoes by about 5 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, remove corn from cob. Hold corn stem end down and slice corn from cob. After slicing, be sure to run the back of your knife down the cob and all the way around to remove all of the corn. Repeat on remaining cobs. Season the corn with sea salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste, mixing well. After potatoes have cooked about 15 minutes, add bacon, corn, cream, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Blend together well. Add jumbo lump last and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring gently to maintain lump.

Tom Clarke is the author of “Sinepuxent Receipts, A Personal Collection of Eastern Shore Cooking”. Tom lives in Hebron. When not cooking for friends or developing new recipes (“receipts”), Tom sings in the choir at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. All profits from the sale of “Sinepuxent Receipts” go to the St. Peter’s Church Organ Fund.