Crab Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This rich and creamy crab soup seasoned with Old Bay is the essence of the Eastern shore.
Filled with fresh lump crab meat and seasoned with Old Bay, a spice blend that comes from my home state of Maryland, this soup tastes like a day on the Eastern shore. In fact, the recipe was scribbled down on a piece of paper for me by the chef from the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, when we were there celebrating my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. It is unapologetically rich and indulgent. Please don’t be tempted to substitute the half & half with milk. It won’t work unless you add more butter and flour, which would defeat the whole purpose of making it lighter. I promise, it’s 100% worth it!
What you’ll need to make Crab Soup
If possible, use fresh-off-the-boat crab meat. It comes in a clear plastic container and is usually resting on ice in the seafood department. It’s not always available depending on the season and region, so your second-best option is refrigerated crab meat, such as Phillip’s, which is readily available year round. Just avoid shelf-stable canned crab meat; it contains additives that affect the taste and texture of the meat.
Old Bay seasoning is a spice blend that you can find at most supermarkets near the seafood department. If you’d like to make your own, I recommend this recipe. I love Old Bay and use it in many recipes, such as Maryland Crab Cakes, Salmon Cakes, Shrimp Salad, Chesapeake Corn with Tomatoes and Basil, and Peel n’ Eat Shrimp.
How to make Crab Soup
To begin, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the flour.
Whisk for about 1 minute, until well blended.
Whisking constantly, gradually add the half & half.
Add the mustard, Old Bay, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, whisking frequently (be sure to scrape the edges of the pot, where the flour mixture tends to settle).
As soon as the soup starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the sherry and crabmeat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
If the soup is too thick, add water, little by little, to thin it out (it will thicken the longer it sits on the stove, even off of the heat). Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
You may also like
- French Onion Soup
- Vegetable Soup with Pesto
- Southwestern Corn Chowder
- Easy Butternut Squash Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Summer Corn Soup with Fresh Herbs
Crab Soup
This rich and creamy crab soup seasoned with Old Bay is the essence of the Eastern shore.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups half & half
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more for serving (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- ½ pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shells
- Finely chopped chives, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional; see note)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for about 1 minute, until well blended.
- Whisking constantly, gradually add the half & half. Add the mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, whisking frequently (be sure to scrape the edges of the pot, where the flour mixture tends to settle). As soon as the soup starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sherry and crabmeat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup is too thick, add water, little by little, to thin it out (it will thicken the longer it sits on the stove, even off of the heat). Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
- Note: Old Bay seasoning is sold in the seafood department at most supermarkets. It can also be ordered online or made from scratch.
- Note: Lemon is really only necessary if not using the sherry.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 475
- Fat: 37 g
- Saturated fat: 23 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Cholesterol: 167 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
OMG! So easy! So delicious!
D. Lish. Ous. I live in Delaware, so fresh blue crab is plentiful. Cream of crab soup is also on nearly every local restaurant menu. But it is often gooey , overloaded with Old Bay, and crab pieces are sparse. This recipe is perfect; simple, no fuss, and allows the crab to be the star. Bravo, Jennifer! Hope you enjoyed your trip to Delmarva!
The minute I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. My husband was born in Maryland and grew up on the Gulf Coast, so he’s always in favor of seafood. This soup is delicious on a cold rainy day!
Hi! Making this today…I’m not using sherry so do I add lemon juice at that step in the recipe instead or just in individual bowls before eating? Thank you!
Hi Julie, It’s up to you — I’d taste it and add it only if you think it’s needed.
Eating it now. I added it to my bowl. Man it’s good and I don’t like crab soup.
Going to make this tomorrow,I have a can of crabmeat which is a pound can I use it all?
Hi Gail, I’d use half the can for the recipe (or you can double it and use the whole can so it doesn’t go to waste).
HI Jenn, is that correct in the above recipe – simmer for 30 seconds? or should it be 30min? Also, does the fresh crabmeat make a big difference? vs the pasteurized version? Btw – I am ordering your cookbook for all of my friends this Christmas! Thank you for sharing all of these amazing recipes!
maureen
Hi Maureen, Yes, 30 seconds is correct. It thickens up very quickly! I do always prefer fresh crabmeat if available. That said, I once made this with high-quality pasteurized crab and my husband didn’t the notice the difference. 😉
I can’t wait to try this tonight with friends! All of your recipes turn out amazing!! Can I substitute cooking sherry or do you think the dry sherry is much better?
I would definitely recommend dry sherry over cooking sherry (I’m not a big fan of cooking wines). Hope you enjoy if you try the soup!
Hi Jenn,
This rich and decadent sounding soup sounds amazing! I do wish to try it gluten and dairy free. Being so dairy allergic I rarely get to enjoy these creamy Fall soups. I have had a lot of luck making substitutions like (Earth Balance and King Arthur Gluten Free Flour) with your other recipes because I think your techniques for cooking are so classic and straightforward. Do you have any non dairy suggestions for the half and half?
It’s great that you have found alternatives to the foods that cause you problems! I believe that some stores carry non-dairy equivalents of half and half, and that would work here. Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This looks delicious!
There was a “see note” entry for the lump crab…… What was it?
Thank you Jenn for your MANY great recipes!!!! My family and friends LOVE them!
Thanks for catching that, Barb! For the crabmeat, try to buy fresh if possible. Fresh crabmeat is sold in plastic containers (I get mine at the fish market or Whole Foods) while pasteurized crabmeat is sold in cans.
Hi Jenn, I am married to a Maryland guy. We both love crab and since we live in California I mostly use Dungeness. My Maryland guy likes it. We really don’t get fresh blue crab here. A brand called Pontrachain blue crab was ranked recently as the best tasting pasteurized blue crab. I buy it at Whole Foods. Normally I
don’t like pasteurized crab, but I like this. It is in plastic, not a can and comes in jumbo lump, medium lump and small claw. Just thought I would pass this on to you. I use the medium lump to make a stuffing for 21 count shrimp, based on a recipe I loved at the now closed
Bish Thompsons. Looking forward to trying your crab soup! Bonnie Wolin Laguna Beach CA
Good to know, Bonnie – thank you!
Hi Jenn!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I was wondering where you purchase your crabmeat?
Hi Megan, I usually get it at Whole Foods. I believe the brand is Epicure and it’s the fresh one in the plastic container, not the pasteurized one in a can.