- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 large baking potatoes – peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 leeks, split lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 4 ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 12 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for pieces of shell
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 cup Fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 lemon or orange, zested
- Oyster crackers, for serving
- In a soup pot, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until it renders fat and crisps at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, leeks, celery and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the red bell pepper and thyme, then stir in the sherry and reduce for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, corn, crabmeat and Old Bay Seasoning and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Combine the parsley, chives and lemon peel and sprinkle over the chowder. Pass oyster crackers around the table.