She-Crab Soup
A creamy low-country classic enriched with crab roe and finished with sherry. This elegant soup tastes restaurant-quality but comes together in under an hour.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups chicken or seafood stock
- 1 pound lump crab meat, picked for shells
- 3 tablespoons crab roe or shrimp roe
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- 1
Pat the lump crab meat dry between two paper towels, pressing gently to remove excess moisture without crushing the lumps.
- 2
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl and pour the crab roe through to separate any shells, gently pressing with the back of a spoon.
- 3
Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until it foams and looks glossy, about 90 seconds.
- 4
Add the diced celery and onion to the melted butter, stir once with a wooden spoon, then cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until the vegetables are soft and smell sweet, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Sprinkle the flour over the softened vegetables and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes until the mixture looks like wet sand and smells toasted.
- 6
Pour the chicken stock slowly into the pot while stirring continuously with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming, whisking for about 1 minute until smooth.
- 7
Pour the milk into the pot while whisking constantly until fully combined, then bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
- 8
Reduce the heat to medium-low so the soup barely bubbles at the edges, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, so the flavors meld.
- 9
Stir in the Old Bay seasoning and cayenne pepper until the soup is uniformly colored and smells like the seasoning is distributed throughout, about 30 seconds.
- 10
Add the thyme leaves and stir for 10 seconds until you smell the herb's fresh aroma mixing into the soup.
- 11
Pour the dry sherry into the soup and stir for 30 seconds until the alcohol smell fades slightly, indicating the sherry has warmed through.
- 12
Gently fold the lump crab meat into the soup using a rubber spatula, lifting from the bottom and turning the mixture over itself for about 1 minute, until no lumps are submerged at the bottom.
- 13
Stir the crab roe gently into the soup in one motion with a wooden spoon, distributing it evenly so the soup turns a pale peachy-orange color throughout.
- 14
Taste a small spoonful of soup and adjust salt and pepper by stirring in 0.25 teaspoon salt at a time and retasting until the flavor is balanced and savory.
- 15
Ladle the soup into four warmed bowls, filling each about three-quarters full, making sure each bowl gets an even share of crab meat and roe visible at the surface.
Tools you’ll need
- large heavy-bottomed pot (5-quart minimum)
- fine-mesh strainer
- small bowl
- wooden spoon
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- soup ladle
- paper towels
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
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