Crab and Clam Chowder
Two cans of shellfish, instant potatoes, and one boil. Chowder without a fridge.
- calories
- 470
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 78
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 11 min
- water
- 475 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 1/2 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered milk | 1/2 cup | whole milk powder if you can find it |
| Shelf-stable grated parmesan | 2 tbsp | |
| Old Bay garlic and herb seasoning | 2 tsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1/4 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | a single-serve packet works |
| Canned crabmeat | 6 oz can | |
| Canned clams | 6.5 oz can | |
| Hot sauce packets | to taste | optional |
Method
- Open the crab and pour off the packing water. Open the clams and pour the juice straight into the pot, it is half the flavor.
- Add water to the pot until you have about 475 ml total liquid, then add the oil. Bring it to a boil.
- Dump in the crab, the clams, and the dry mix. Stir until there are no dry pockets.
- Pull the pot off the stove, put the lid on, and wait five minutes. The flakes need that time to swell.
- Stir again. Add hot sauce if you want it. A pot cozy helps in cold weather or up high.
Canned shellfish is the rare protein that needs no cooler and no rehydrating, and the clam juice is a free broth base, so drain it into the pot rather than the dirt. Potato flakes do the thickening that a roux would do at home, and powdered milk stands in for cream. Neither one needs to simmer, which is why this is one boil and a five-minute rest rather than twenty minutes of stirring.
The parmesan is there for salt and body, not for a cheese flavor you would notice. The oil matters more than it looks: without added fat this reads thin and watery, since neither canned shellfish nor milk powder brings much. Two cans are heavy for a backpacking dinner, so this earns its place on a short trip, a paddle, or a first night out of the car.
Packing
Potato flakes, milk powder, parmesan, Old Bay, and thyme all go in one quart freezer bag at home. The two cans and the oil packet ride loose. Pack the empty cans back out.
Variations
- Handful of popcorn on top instead of crackers. It goes soft fast, so add it by the bite.
- Swap the crab for a second can of clams and it gets cheaper without losing much.
- Freezer bag version: pour the near-boiling water and everything into the bag inside a cozy, seal it, and give it ten minutes.
https://trailcooking.com/soups/crab-clam-chowder