COMMENT:
This creamy seafood soup, chock-full of crab meat and finished with
a touch of sherry, paprika and crab roe, is a traditional dish from
the coast of Carolina to the Florida panhandle. You'll need about
8 or 9 large crabs to get enough meat to serve 6. Of course y'all,
they have to be female, because after all, that's where the roe
comes from. Naturally, you could always buy the crab meat and roe
from the seafood supplier, should you not be up to the task of boiling
and cleaning crabs.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
- ½ cup crab roe
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- ½ cup minced onions
- 1/4 cup minced celery
- 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 2 tbsps. flour
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp. ground mace
- 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 2 tbsps. chopped parsley
METHOD:
Pick the crab meat well to remove any shells or cartilage. Chop
the roe and set aside. In a dutch oven, heat butter over medium
high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté
3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour,
blending well into the vegetable mixture. Add milk, heavy whipping
cream and season with mace, lemon peel, salt and pepper. Bring to
a low boil, reduce to simmer and add half of the crab meat. Cook,
stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. When ready to serve, adjust
salt and pepper if necessary, then add remaining crab meat, crab
roe and sherry. Return to a low boil to heat crab meat thoroughly.
When serving, garnish with a pinch of paprika and chopped parsley.
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