Name: San Francisco Crab "Meatball" Chowder
Yield: Makes about 12 cups; serves 6 to 8 as a main course
Ingredients: 1 pound crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1/4 cup milk; 1 heaping teaspoon Coleman’s dry English mustard; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 4 ounces oyster crackers, Pilot crackers, or other similar crackers, finely ground (about 1 cup); Kosher or sea salt; Tabasco or other hot sauce; About 1 cup vegetable oil, for cooking the meatballs; 2 medium blue or rock crabs (12 ounces each) or 1 Dungeness crab (1 1/2 to 2 pounds); 4 ounces slab (unsliced) bacon, rind removed and cut into 1/3-inch dice; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 tablespoon); 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium onion (8 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch dice; 1 medium green bell pepper (4 to 6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice; 2 dried bay leaves; 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning; 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold, Maine, PEI, or other all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice; 4 cups Crab Stock ,Traditional Fish Stock , or Chicken Stock; 1 can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes in juice, cut into 1/2-inch dice; Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

If you are looking for a chowder that is deeply flavored and hearty but not overly rich, this is it. It's perfect for a casual occasion, but the "meatballs" deliver an element of surprise, along the lines of an optical illusion, and make it really quite special.

The idea for this chowder came from an old San Francisco recipe for "Force Meatballs" in a cookbook called Joe Tilden's Recipes for Epicures (1907), reprinted in Richard Hooker's Book of Chowders. The "meatballs" were actually made from crabmeat, a fun idea that I knew had great potential. Tilden, a renowned Bay Area amateur cook, left only these instructions for his meatballs: "Serve in any fish chowder or soup." So I paired my version of his meatballs with a chowder that had flavors similar to cioppino, the famous San Francisco seafood stew flavored with garlic, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. I served it to my wife and kids, telling them only that it was "meatball chowder." The well-browned meatballs look like the real thing, so they were all a bit dumbfounded when they tasted them. My son, J.P., said "Wow, they taste like crab cakes!" Everybody loved the chowder!

cook's Notes

test

Recipe notes

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Salmon With Sizzled Nut Salsa

A savory-hot salsa made with mixed nuts (like the kind dubbed cocktail nuts meant for snacking) gives roast salmon a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.

One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Cilantro Rice and Beans

This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Dulce de Leche

Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.