Cream of Crab Soup (MD)
intro
Rich, velvety Chesapeake classic brimming with sweet lump crab, warm Old Bay, and smooth creamy broth, made the traditional no-filler Maryland way.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep the crabmeat
Gently pick through 454g jumbo lump blue crabmeat in a shallow dish, removing any stray shell fragments without breaking up the large, delicate crab lumps. Set the picked crab aside at room temperature for 10 minutes to take off the chill while you prepare the soup base.
Sauté base aromatics
Melt 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add ½ cup diced yellow onion and ½ cup diced celery, cooking for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Do not let the vegetables brown, as this will darken the final soup color.
Make the blond roux
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour evenly over the cooked aromatics, stirring constantly to fully combine the flour and butter into a smooth paste. Cook the roux for 3 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring nonstop, until it smells faintly nutty and turns a pale golden blond color, with no raw flour aftertaste remaining.
Simmer the broth base
Slowly whisk in 4 cups (960ml) low-sodium seafood stock ¼ cup at a time, whisking vigorously between additions to prevent lumps from forming. Stir in 1 teaspoon (5ml) Worcestershire sauce, 1.5 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the pot bottom.
Add cream and crab
Reduce stovetop heat to the lowest setting, then stir in 1.5 cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons (30ml) dry sherry. Gently fold in the picked crabmeat with a silicone spatula, taking great care not to break up the large crab lumps. Warm the soup through for 4 minutes, and do not allow it to boil, as high heat will curdle the cream and make crab tough.
Adjust and serve
Taste the soup and adjust salt or Old Bay seasoning to your preference, then ladle into pre-warmed soup bowls. Garnish each serving with ½ tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and a light pinch of extra Old Bay, and serve immediately with oyster crackers if desired.
Tips
2.Use fresh jumbo lump blue crabmeat for the best texture and sweet flavor; avoid canned claw crabmeat, which has a mushy texture and overly strong, fishy taste.
3.Traditional Maryland cream of crab uses minimal vegetable filler—skip additions like diced potatoes or carrots to keep the focus on tender, sweet crabmeat.
OMG, this is the exact cream of crab soup I grew up eating on our annual Ocean City trips! I was so scared I’d never get the flavor right after moving out to Colorado, but this recipe is spot on. The sherry amount is perfect, not too overpowering, and the crab stays nice and tender instead of getting rubbery. Served it for our family dinner last night and even my super picky teen went back for a second bowl. 10/10, will be making this all winter long!
Really solid soup! My only note is that I thought it was a touch too thick for my taste when I followed the roux measurements exactly, so I thinned it out with a little extra half and half. Also added a pinch of Old Bay on top before serving, which hit so good. Brought it to my neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were asking for the recipe left and right. Game changer for cold Ohio weekends!
SO good! I meal prepped this on Sunday and it held up perfectly in the fridge for quick weeknight lunches. I was worried the cream would separate when I reheated it, but it stayed silky smooth every time. My kids loved it so much they asked if we can have it for Christmas Eve dinner this year. Will absolutely be adding this to our regular rotation!
Taste was great, but I messed up the roux on my first try and it got lumpy 😅 I think I had the heat too high when I added the flour. Ended up straining it to get the lumps out and it turned out okay, but I wish there was a note about what heat level to use for the roux step. Still tasted really good with the crab, just not as pretty as the photos.
I’ve tried so many cream of crab soup recipes over the years and this one is hands down the most authentic I’ve found outside of Maryland restaurants! I made it for my husband’s birthday dinner since he’s from Baltimore and he said it tasted exactly like the soup his grandma used to make. Pro tip: don’t skip the dry sherry, it makes such a huge difference in the depth of flavor!