Captain’s Oyster Chowder

So, the story goes that the ol’ captain is a fair hand in the kitchen and mighty picky about the food served at his table. This is an easy, rich-and-hearty recipe he put together for oyster lovers, that can also be made with fresh crab meat, shrimp, or crawfish tails when fresh oysters are not available. Serve with toasted slices of garlic-buttered French baguette bread for a great first course or a complete meal.

Ingredients

4 dozen freshly-shucked oysters – rinsed and drained
6 strips thick-sliced bacon – diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cup diced onion
1-1/2 cup diced carrot
1-1/2 cup diced celery
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp corn starch
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 stick creamery butter
15-ounce can whole kernel corn
2 Tbsp fresh-chopped parsley
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and diced to half-inch chunks
6- to 7-cups half-and-half
Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Preparation

Place large Dutch oven over medium heat and fry bacon pieces until crisp, leave drippings in pot. Add olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté until translucent – stirring often. Add corn starch and mix evenly with veggies. Add chicken broth, butter, corn, parsley and potato chunks. Simmer until approaching boil, then add half-and-half. Heat to near boiling again and add oysters. Continue simmering 10 minutes until oysters curl, stirring often to prevent sticking. At this point you can add more half-and-half to produce thinner chowder or an extra teaspoon or two of cornstarch stirred into half cup of water to make it thicker. The Captain prefers his chowder thick and rich! Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.