Crab and Corn Soup

By norsegal8

Some Vietnamese dishes clearly demonstrate the influence that the French had on local food. This soup is one of them. Although crab is eaten all over Vietnam (mostly freshwater crabs), corn wasn't eaten in Vietnam until the French introduced it. This soup demostrates the intermingling of the two food cultures; using an ingredient common in Vietnam, the crab, but presenting it in a European way, as a light first-course soup rather than a meal-in-a-bowl noodle soup. You can use any kind of crab here. In our restaurants we use Dungeness, which is plentiful and locally caught. This soup is quick to make, particularly if you buy cooked crabmeat.

Ingredients

• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, coarsely chopped with cobs reserved
• 12 ounces fresh-cooked crabmeat
• kosher salt
• toasted sesame oil
• ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and light green parts onlys

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a large pot, combine the stock and corncobs and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the corncobs.

2. Stir in the crabmeat and corn kernels and simmer for 10 minutes, until the corn is tender. Season to taste with salt.

3. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with a few drops of sesame oil, a pinch of white pepper and some of the scallions. Serve immediately.


VARIATION:
In spring, asparagus replaces the corn in this soup. Asparagus was first planted in Vietnam by the French, and both fresh green and canned white asparagus are still popular there today. Substitute 1 large bunch of asparagus for the corn. Snap off the ends of the asparagus where they naturally break, and add the ends to the chicken stock in place of the corncobs, then simmer and discard as directed. Slice the stalks on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick pieces and add to the pot in place of the corn kernels. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the asparagus is tender, then ladle into warmed bowls and garnish as directed.