Creole-Spiced Fresh Corn and Crab Soup

6 cups no-salt-added chicken broth

4 ears fresh corn, shucked

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, cut into small dice

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice

2 ribs celery, cut into small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon sweet/mild paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt, or more as needed

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

Pour 5 cups of the broth into a wide soup pot and place over medium heat.

As you cut the corn kernels away from their cobs, add the stripped cobs to the pot. Reserve the kernels, discarding any corn silk.

Increase the heat to medium-high; once the broth with cobs begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, then discard the cobs.

Meanwhile, combine 2 cups of the corn kernels and the remaining 1 cup of broth in a blender; puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion, red bell pepper and celery; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not brown. Stir in the garlic, thyme, paprika, salt, and black and cayenne peppers; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the onion mixture to the broth in the soup pot; cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the corn puree and the remaining corn kernels; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Taste, and add more salt, as needed.

At this point, if you are making the soup for longer-term storage, do not add the crab. Otherwise, add the crab and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute. Serve hot.

Serves 4 (makes a generous 8 cups)

Nutrition | Per serving: 220 calories, 17 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 580 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger