Hailing from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, South Carolina She-Crab Soup is one of those regional specialties that convinces whoever tastes it to travel to that region immediately to experience more of it. Thankfully, you don’t need to buy a plane ticket to enjoy South Carolina She-Crab Soup. In fact, you don’t even need a full 30 minutes! All you need is the rich, creamy, bisque-like broth filled with lumps of the juicy crabmeat. Zesty, beautifully seasoned, and just a touch spicy, this is a soup that’s truly soup-er!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups seafood stock
- 2 cups heavy cream, at or close to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon mace or nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay® seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 pound lump crab meat, picked through, cooked, and divided
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
Directions
Step 1 –Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.
Step 2 –Add the onion to the butter and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 3 –Add the flour to the onion mixture and blend to make a roux, about 2 minutes.
Step 4 –Add the seafood stock to the roux, stirring well.
Step 5 –Reduce the heat to low and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Step 6 –Stir small amounts of the roux mixture into the heavy cream to help temper it.
Step 7 –Add the tempered cream to the stockpot and bring the mixture to a light boil, raising the heat as needed.
Step 8 –Reduce the heat to low.
Step 9 –Add the Worcestershire sauce, the lemon zest, the mace, the Old Bay seasoning, the cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 of the crab meat.
Step 10 –Simmer the soup for 5 minutes.
Step 11 –Combine the remaining salt, the remaining crab, and the sherry in a small bowl.
Step 12 –Serve the soup, topping each bowl with a scoop of the crab and sherry mixture in the center.