Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

　　We recommend you use only fresh local corn when making this soup. The supersweet corn on the cob sold in plastic-wrapped packages in supermarkets yields an unpleasantly sweet soup. To make this soup vegetarian, simply omit the king crab.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 cups

　　6 ears fresh corn, shucked and desilked

　　2 cups cold whole milk

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　3/4 teaspoon black pepper

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

　　1 (6-oz) frozen king crab leg, thawed

　　4 teaspoons Asian chile oil

　　

Step 1

Cook corn in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to chill ears quickly. When cold, cut off kernels and scrape cobs over a bowl to extract juice, then purée in batches in a blender with milk, salt, and pepper. Force purée through a very fine sieve into a bowl (discard solids) and stir in chives.

　　

Step 2

Cut crab shell with kitchen shears and extract meat, then cut into 1/4-inch pieces.

　　

Step 3

Serve soup drizzled with chile oil and sprinkled with crabmeat.