This past weekend, we went down to the beach for the weekend and decided that crabs were in order. Ended up having 9 or 10 crabs leftover that we brought home, so I decided that a crab soup was their final destiny.
As I recall, this was the approximate recipe:
1 1/2 lb crab, fresh picked.
1 small onion diced.
2 red potatoes, peeled and diced.
4 small carrots, diced.
3 celery stalks, diced.
3 cloves garlic, minced.
1 bay leaf
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup or so, fresh green beans
2 ears white corn, cut from the cob
1 quart chicken stock
1 TBS worcestershire sauce
3 TBS Old Bay
1 dash cayenne pepper
2 cups water
2 TBS olive oil
pepper to taste
Sautee the Mirepoix in olive oil for a few minutes, then add the garlic for 1-2 minutes at low-medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the crab and simmer for close to an hour until potatoes are soft and green beans just start to soften a bit. Add the crab for 5-10 minutes, and serve with a crusty bread. Very simple and easy, and oh so delicious. Like a taste of summer on the Eastern shore.
Crabs came from the Carolinas as they are not yet in season here, but as Mr. Fleming will testify I am sure, there doesn’t seem to be too much terroir in a crab, it more has to do with someone knowing how to cook them correctly. These were cooked perfectly by the kind folks at Steamers in Millville, DE.
A few pics…
Ingredients:
Mirepoix:
The Soup:
Dinner:
Really good, and very easily to replicate with a pound of fresh, good crab meat. Blasphemous as it sounds, I would imagine it might even be palatable with some Dungeness Recommendations here would be use the best crab available, ideally US from the Carolinas or Gulf of Mexico, and failing that, go for something good from the Northwest. Do yourself a favor though, do not buy canned crab from the Far East…
Also, most probably this will be better on the second day. Finally, for crab soup newbies, if after adding the Old Bay, it doesn’t taste seasoned enough, be patient. The flavors come through with a little time, and a little too much Old Bay is a lot too much. Great ingredient, but it is salty, so do not use too much. You can always add a little at the end if need be.
Cheers