Crab Chili

Let’s get this in before it’s getting warm out! This rainy, windy, chilly weather absolutely calls for a chili. Lucky for me, I have a good friend that is a chef at the Red Rooster in Harlem, which happens to be one of my favorite restaurants. Rasheeda Purdie is a young and talented chef, making her way to the top relentlessly, and I’ve been following her success, knowing she’s a rising star. She also made an amazing crab chili for Black History Month, and was nice enough to send me the recipe, so of course I didn’t hesitate to make it for friends and family. We all loved it! It’s made with sour cream (if you know me, you know I’m obsessed with sour cream), and it’s packing some heat. Cook it with me!

What you’ll need:

  • 2 lbs white kidney beans/Cannellini beans, soaked
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 10 Serrano Chile peppers, diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 tbsp oregano, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 3 quarts Lobster or Chicken stock
  • 12 oz white cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 24 oz sour cream
  • 1 lbs crabmeat or lump crab
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Wash the beans and cover them in water, 3 inches above the top, soak overnight.

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan. Sauté onions, chili peppers and garlic until translucent.

Add cumin, cilantro, oregano, cayenne, Old Bay seasoning and cloves. Add beans and stock to the mixture and cook until the beans are soft, about 2 to 3 hours. Add cheese, stirring constantly. Add the crab meat right before serving. Serve inside a boule, or with some fresh baked bread on the side.

(I ended up having to use dried cilantro and oregano, and it worked well, but please to use fresh if at all possible!)

For more info on the Red Rooster click here

Follow Rasheeda on Instagram: CookingForLucy

Author: Gotham Foodie

Hello there, fellow foodies! My name is Erica, I was born and raised in Germany, and moved to the US, New York City to be exact, in July of 1987. I have worked most of my time here in the Big Apple as a bartender, but my true love is food. I cook just about every day, I search for good food everywhere, and pretty much always find it. I don't consider myself a food critic, I don't have the culinary background for that kind of expertise. I do however know good food, good chefs and good restaurants. I report back about my culinary adventures, and I choose to leave out my unsatisfactory experiences. We have enough negativity in our daily lives, I don't want to add to that. All the recipes in my FROM MY KITCHEN and DOTW blogs are cooked and prepared by me. All pictures are taken by me. I don't always eat everything you see in my pictures, but you bet your buns, I do try everything. Last but not least, you should know that I am a huge Top Chef fan. I have never missed an episode of the Bravo TV show. I have at this point visited almost 20 restaurants run by Top Chef contestants, and I'm continuously impressed by their skill, drive and passion. So I will continue to seek them out, and I hope you join me in my journey!

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