Crab Soup
Serves 6-8
This soup has been a holiday tradition for many years in my family. My Mom was gifted a cookbook called Savannah Collection and was inspired by the crab soup recipe in this book. She has been making her own version since her catering days in the late 1980s. We usually have this soup on Christmas Eve accompanied by either a salad or holiday appetizers. I love to pair my soup with a buttermilk chive biscuit. I hope you make this soup with your family and friends during the holidays. Maybe it will become a holiday tradition for you too!
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 cup of thinly, sliced leeks, white part only, rinsed under cold water to remove dirt
- ½ cup of small diced celery
- ¼ cup of small diced carrots
- 6 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1 pound of lump crabmeat, picked over
- 5 cups of seafood stock
- ⅔ cup of cream
- ½ cup of milk
- ¼ cup of dry sherry
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon of white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
Directions
- 1. Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- 2. Add leeks, celery, and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper and add seasonings (Old Bay, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg).
- 3. Whisk in flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add sherry, stock, milk, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally until soup has thickened (it will coat the back of the spoon).
- 4. Stir in cream and add the crabmeat. Stir carefully not to break apart the crabmeat. Heat through on a simmer, about 5 minutes.
- 5. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve it with my Great Grandmother’s buttermilk biscuits. Enjoy!