South of Broad Frogmore Chowder is an urbane version of a traditional South Carolina Low Country dish. Frogmore Stew is usually served outdoors on a newspaper-covered table with a heap of fresh shrimp, sausage and freshly-shucked corn in a spicy broth.
This recipe adds additional ingredients to those mainstays to create a chowder suitable for a formal dinner party in one of the homes in Charleston’s “South of Broad” neighborhood. Like the city itself, the chowder features sophistication in a bucolic setting. Enjoy!
(Serves 4 as a first course.)
Ingredients
1 pound medium shrimp shell-on
1 small bay leaf
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon Cajun or Gullah seasoning
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces Andouille sausage, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk diced with leaves reserved for garnish
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 ear sweet corn
½ cup dry white wine
4 ounces fresh crab picked over
½ cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells in a small saucepan. Cut the shrimp crosswise into three or four pieces and set aside.
To the saucepan with the shrimp shells, add 2 cups water, the bay leaf, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the Cajun or Gullah seasoning. Bring to simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve the broth for later.
Melt butter in a saucepan and cook the sausage about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a small bowl.
Add the onion and celery and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook over low heat until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add diced potatoes and cut kernels from the corn and scrape the cob into the saucepan. Add 1½ cups of the shrimp stock, 1½ cups water, the wine and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the crab, shrimp and sausage and simmer for 2 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve immediately, garnishing with torn celery leaves
— Created by David Matthews for Connect
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