Dungeness Crab Corn Chupe

Sweet Dungeness crab and juicy corn bake in a velvety wine sauce beneath a deeply golden Parmesan crust.

  • Total time: 50 min
  • Servings: 2 servings
  • Estimated total cost: $26
  • Calories per serving: 680 cal
  • Stovetop
  • Oven

Ingredients

  • Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab
    1½ lb $15.99
  • Fresh Sweet Corn on the Cob-Each
    3 ears $0.33
  • Jumbo Yellow Onions
    4 oz (about ½ medium onion) $0.99
  • Garlic
    2 cloves $0.79
  • Unsalted butter
    2 tablespoons, divided
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
    1 tablespoon
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
    1 teaspoon
  • Smoked paprika
    1 teaspoon
  • Cayenne pepper
    ⅛ teaspoon
  • All-purpose flour
    1 tablespoon
  • Dry white wine
    ½ cup
  • Whole milk
    1 cup
  • Heavy cream
    ¼ cup
  • Crusty white bread
    2 slices, crusts removed
  • Finely grated Parmesan cheese
    ½ cup, divided
  • Fresh lemon juice
    2 teaspoons
  • Chopped fresh parsley
    1 tablespoon
  • Freshly ground black pepper
    ¼ teaspoon

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper third. Grease two shallow 12-ounce baking dishes with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.

  2. Clean and crack the 1½-pound cooked Dungeness crab. Pick the meat into a bowl, checking carefully for shell fragments; reserve about 6 ounces of meat and discard the shells and gills.

  3. Cut the kernels from 3 ears sweet corn. Finely dice 4 ounces yellow onion, mince 2 garlic cloves, and tear 2 crustless slices of white bread into small pieces.

  4. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, corn kernels, and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy and lightly golden.

  5. Stir the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper into the vegetables for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and stir for 1 minute.

  6. Pour in ½ cup dry white wine and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add 1 cup whole milk, ¼ cup heavy cream, and the torn bread; simmer for 4 minutes, stirring and pressing the bread into the sauce until thickened.

  7. Remove the skillet from the heat. Fold in the picked crab, ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Divide the chupe between the prepared baking dishes and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.

  8. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the chupe is bubbling and deeply browned around the edges. Rest for 5 minutes.

  9. Set each baking dish on a heatproof plate and serve hot, with the golden crust and pieces of sweet crab visible.

Drink pairing: A lightly oaked Chardonnay complements the sweet crab, smoky corn, and creamy sauce.