Heaven in a bowl. That’s what this soup is. This She-Crab Soup Recipe was my interpretation recreated from a dish served at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe Restaurant in Malibu.
She-Crab Soup
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| Serves | 8 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| By author | Dish Ditty |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Shallots (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup Celery (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 3 cups Fish Stock (*Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth will work too)
- 1/4 to 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 cup Cream Sherry
- 2 tablespoons Brandy
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 8 to 12oz Lump Blue Crabmeat (do not mix)
- 1 teaspoon Crab Roe (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley or Chives (chopped)
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| In soup pot, cook butter, shallots, celery and garlic until shallots are tender. Do not brown the vegetables; just get them to be aromatic and tender, about 2 minutes. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add the flour and cook for 1 minute to let the flour and butter bind together. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Add the stock, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, old bay, nutmeg, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, sherry and brandy. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Add the heavy cream and cook for about 5 minutes. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Next, add the blue crab meat with roe (optional). Be careful not to break up the crabmeat too much. You want it to stay in lump form, not stringy. Bring the soup just to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low simmer until ready to serve. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley or chives. | |
I recently went on vacation to Malibu (yes, it was wonderful) and ate at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe Restaurant. The restaurant is a fun beachy seafood joint, which had great food. We decided to try the ‘She-Crab Soup’. I hadn’t heard of it before, but I love crab and I love soup, so hey, why not try it? It was amazing. I loved that soup and immediately came home and decided to make it.
I wrote down what I thought was in the recipe, then did a little searching and found a couple recipes that gave me a couple ideas for other ingredients (like the brandy). So, with a little trust in my taste buds, I embarked on recreating that heavenly soup. I think I did a pretty good job coming close to what we had there. Was my soup heavenly? Yes, yes it was.
This is a rich, creamy soup that is a little sweet, a little spicy, and 100% full of flavor. Heaven in a bowl I tell you! 🙂
Enjoy!
I didn’t use the roe but it is just like what we were served on vacation in Savannah, GA! This recipe is easy to make, elegant flavors and the perfect dish for our family. We love it!