West Coast–style She-Crab Soup
15m prep 25m cook 40m ready
A creamy, rich she-crab soup with a West Coast twist, featuring lump crabmeat and flying fish roe. Finished with sherry and served with French bread.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 large shallots diced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sherry
- 6 tbsp sherry
- 4 cup shrimp or crab stock
- 2 cup whole milk
- 2 cup heavy cream
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Texas Pete or Crystal hot sauce
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb lump crabmeat
- 6 tsp flying fish roe
- French bread
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 14 of 21 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 219 mg
- Iron: 1.65 mg
- Magnesium: 50.4 mg
- Phosphorus: 325 mg
- Potassium: 498 mg
- Zinc: 3.55 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter. Add 3 large diced shallots, ½ cup diced celery, and ½ cup diced sweet onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Step 2.
Sprinkle ½ cup all-purpose flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is golden brown and smells nutty.
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Step 3.
Pour in ½ cup sherry and 4 cups shrimp or crab stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Slowly pour in 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream, stirring continuously.
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Step 4.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup until it starts to thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
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Step 5.
Stir in the juice from 1 large lemon, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Texas Pete or Crystal), 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1 bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning: add more salt, hot sauce, or Worcestershire if needed, depending on the saltiness of your stock.
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Step 6.
Gently fold in 1 pound lump crabmeat, being careful not to break up the lumps. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes just to heat through, then remove the bay leaf.
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Step 7.
Ladle about 1 cup of soup into each of six bowls. Garnish each bowl with 1 teaspoon flying fish roe and 1 tablespoon sherry. Serve immediately with French bread on the side for dipping.
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