She-Crab Soup
She-Crab Soup Say it: shee-krab soop
She-crab soup is a Charleston classic from the South Carolina Lowcountry, a silky cream soup built on butter, onion and celery and loaded with sweet lump crabmeat. Traditionally it is made in spring with the roe of a female (she) crab, which melts into the broth and deepens its color and flavor. A pinch of mace and a splash of dry sherry give it its unmistakable Lowcountry perfume. It is served as a starter at dinner and, in Charleston, at nearly every celebration table.
She-Crab Soup
She-Crab Soup
Pronounced shee-krab soop
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg, shellfish, fish. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Soup base
Crab and finish
Method
Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery with a pinch of the salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is gone and the mixture turns pale golden.
Pour in the milk in a steady stream, whisking as you go so no lumps form. Add the mace, cayenne, black pepper and the rest of the salt, then simmer gently for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until the soup thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Stir in the cream and bring the pot back to a bare simmer; small bubbles should tremble at the edge but the surface should not boil.
Add the crabmeat and the sieved egg yolks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the crab is heated through and the soup is steaming and pale gold. Taste and adjust the salt.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the sherry and Worcestershire sauce. Ladle into warm bowls, scatter with parsley and add a few drops of sherry to each serving.
Regional variants
Maryland cream of crab soup is a close cousin, seasoned with Old Bay and thickened with cracker crumbs instead of a roux. Some Lowcountry cooks add a spoonful of dry mustard or a splash of Madeira in place of the sherry.
Cook's notes
- If you can find live female crabs in spring, cook them, lift out the orange roe and stir it in with the crabmeat for the true Charleston flavor; sieved egg yolk gives the same color and body.
- Never let the soup boil once the cream is in, or it can curdle and turn grainy.
- Fold the crab in gently with a spoon rather than stirring hard, so the lumps stay whole.
Serve with
Oyster crackers or crusty bread, and a crisp white wine or a small glass of dry sherry.
Make ahead and storage
Cool quickly and refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat gently over low heat with a splash of milk, without boiling.
