Crab Soup

Crab Soup: a creamy, rich, and flavorful dish with flavors of Old Bay and the ocean! Serve this soup as an appetizer, main course, or any time you want to transport yourself to the Eastern shore. For best results, use fresh or refrigerated crab meat and half and half instead of milk!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 342kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Large Pot

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ medium yellow onion diced
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth or seafood stock (480ml)
1½ cups half and half (360ml)
⅓ cup sherry (80ml)
1 pound lump crab meat picked through to remove any shells (450g)
Chopped chives
Lemon Wedges to serve

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, add the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids in the butter turn golden brown and have a nutty fragrance, about 4 minutes. Add the onion, Old Bay, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender, about 12 minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
Slowly whisk in broth, half and half, and sherry. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the crab meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup just starts to bubble, 4 to 5 minutes more. Garnish with chives and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Whisk the soup thoroughly. Whisk the soup well after adding the broth, half and half, and sherry, as bits of the flour can stick around the bottom edges of the pan. Additionally, whisking it will allow the soup to heat and thicken up without scalding.
Avoid using imitation crab meat. Often made with fish instead of actual crab, it is best to avoid using imitation crab meat for this soup. It will not provide the right sweet and rich crab flavor and does not cook up well in the creamy broth.
Add water to thin out if desired. If the soup is too thick for your liking, stir in additional broth, half & half, or water by the tablespoon until it is your desired consistency.

Nutrition