Category Archives: crab

Cream of Crab Soup

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Maryland weather isn’t known for it’s consistency. Last week we were all told to expect upwards of 10 inches of snow. Jokes were made about water, milk, toilet paper and bread. Thankfully it was just too warm here, so when the snow fell, it was just rain. Lots and lots of rain.

Although the sheer warning of snow led to the closing of the federal government, and among other business’, my office (YAY FREE DAY!!). With the day off, I wanted to make my daughter and husband something that would warm their bellies. But I’m not in to stews or chili as comfort food – so cream of crab it was.

Just like all recipes that I use crab in, I mix a cheaper crab meat throughout the soup so that crab flavor and texture permeates the entire dish, and then gently fold in lump crab meat towards the end. Every spoonful is full of tender vegetables and tons of crab meat wrapped in a silky broth.

When it’s freezing and blustery outside, it doesn’t get any better than cream of crab soup – except, when it doesn’t snow at all. That tickles my fancy almost as much.

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Cream of Crab Soup

  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 6 oz backfin crab meat
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 12 oz lump crab meat
  • 2 Tablespoons cream sherry
  • 1 Tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the celery and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add in flour and whisk until you can’t see any white spots from the flour anymore. While whisking, add chicken broth.

Once this mixture begins to thicken, add the backfin meat, half and half, Old Bay, hot sauce, and celery salt. When the mixture returns to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes.  Slowly add the half and half and milk. Simmer for another 2 minutes.

Gently fold in the lump crab meat and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring gently occasionally. Turn the heat off and add the sherry, parsley and lemon. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

Resist the urge to eat it all by yourself while the others are occupied.

Oh, and make snow never come to the East Cost again. Please and thank you!

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Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs

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I should probably be scrubbing the kitchen floor on the weekends. Or hanging up the pile of clean laundry that’s been sitting beside the bed for an embarrassing amount of time. I’m thoroughly convinced hangers are overrated.

Sometimes after a long week of work it just doesn’t happen.

The weekends now are the screeching of neighborhood kids, like they’ve just been let out of a cage. It’s the ice cream truck playing Christmas music in June and the smell of smoky grills wafting in every direction.

It is driving home from the market and seeing handmade signs in someone’s yard advertising live crabs, just caught.

We asked for a dozen and since it was our first time buying from him, he slipped us five extra crabs. Any good dealer gives you more just to entice you and let you know how good his product is. And it was.

Every once in awhile rather than bombard your life with tasks, just sit with your family and encrust your nails with spices -  enjoy the moment entirely – eat it up. Consume love.

Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs

Whatcha Need:

  • One large pot with a platform, rack, or screen in the bottom (You want the crabs to steam, not touch or cook in the liquid – that is no good).
  • One part water, one part apple cider vinegar, one part beer. This amount will vary depending on the size of your pot.
  • Live crabs. Please do not cook ones that have already gone to the bay in the sky.
  • Old Bay or JO seasoning. The choice is yours – but man, people have some strong feelings about which is better. I’ll stay out of this one.

In the bottom of your large pot, combine the water, vinegar and beer. Place your rack/screen over the liquid.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Layer the crabs, and with each layer pour on the seafood seasoning. Don’t be shy – pour it.

Cover your pot and steam for about 20-30 minutes. When they are all fully red with no dark or green spots, you’re ready to serve. Cover your table with the finest tablecloth.

Dump your crabs on top and dig in. I’d tell you how to pick a crab but I don’t like hate mail. Plus, you know how to Google.

Optional for serving:

Like your seasoning of choice, people have big opinions about how to eat their picked meat. Some like it straight, and some like to dunk! Here are a few things you might want to serve with your beautiful crabs (besides beer).

  • Melted butter
  • Vinegar
  • Cocktail sauce

Cleaning the crime scene is just as easy; just roll the newspaper up and throw it away!

Cheers!

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Butternut Squash Crab Soup with Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Relish

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Note: Photograph by Mike. At this moment we don’t have the ability to watermark my photos, so just don’t steal it, okay?

I’ve said it before and I still stand by my statement: Maryland has some of the craziest fluctuating weather in the universe. Our 100 plus weather dropped to below 75, then we had snow on Halloween weekend. The following week we were back in the mid seventies, and then suddenly we are near freezing around seven on any given evening.

I desperately wanted a bowl of cream of crab soup; a hot bowl of full fat, roux-based deliciousness. My brain and body made a compromise and decided butternut squash would be the perfect compliment to the beautiful crab meat. The finished soup was so velvety smooth that my entire being was satiated and all was ‘just right’ at least for a moment or two.

Perhaps it’s not just the weather that can’t make up its mind. Things have been so sideways lately in my daily life, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that my food has followed suit; the usual with a little surprise here and there.

Butternut Squash Crab Soup with Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Relish:

For the Squash:

  • One 2 lb. butternut squash, halved and de-seeded
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil on the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squash halves flesh side down. Put the squash in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Remove from the oven, scoop out the cooked squash from skin. Discard the skin and set squash aside until ready to use.

For the Soup:

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup diced shallots
  • 1/4 cup diced carrots
  • 1/4 cup diced celery
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • butternut squash innards (recipe above)
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 6 oz backfin crab meat
  • salt and pepper
  • Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Relish (Recipe Follows)

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low. Add in the shallot, celery, carrot, and bay leaf cooking for 8 minutes until the veg is getting soft but not brown. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in stock and squash, raise the heat to medium, stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender in batches until smooth with no chunks. If you want a super-smooth soup, you could also strain it to remove any small imperfections after blending, but if you don’t have one large enough, the soup will still be great.

Stir in the cream and crab meat. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed. To serve, top each bowl with a little relish.

For the Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Relish:

  • 4 slices of cooked bacon, diced
  • 1 roasted red pepper, diced
  • 2 oz backfin crab meat
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • splash of sherry vinegar
  • pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and keep chilled until ready to top the soup.

YUM!

 




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Hot Crab Dip

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I’ve seen lots of different ways to make a crab dip; some served cold and others made with a roux base. Me? I’m a hot, cheesy, dip your crusty bread in it, crab dip kinda gal. It isn’t glamorous or anything special, but it is delicious.

There are two little “secrets” I use for making crab dip. Number one is to mix a more inexpensive crab meat completely in the dip, then fold the really good stuff in to leave the little jewels of lump crab whole. The other one? I use half plain cream cheese and the other half is this glorious cream cheese:

 

Dude, I said this isn’t glamorous.

For my dip, I also don’t go crazy with Old Bay or too much spice because I want the sweet flavor of the crab to shine. And I have to admit, I’ve made crab dip a couple hundred bajillion times, but this is the first time my daughter loved it – even asking if we could have dinner of dip one night. This has never happened so this time I knew I had to take notes!

If you look really close you can see my sweet polka dot dress and Bean under the chair looking for crumbs!

One more note – if you’re planning ahead, this tastes even better the next day. Perhaps next time I’ll set it up and bake it the next day to see how that works out.

Hot Crab Dip:

This serves 6-8 people as an appetizer or 1 Mike.

  • 8 oz. plain cream cheese
  • 8 oz. chive and onion cream cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay® Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
  • 6 oz. non-lump crab meat
  • 8 oz. jumbo lump crab meat

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer (or elbow grease), combine the cream cheeses, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese thoroughly, making sure to stop and scrape down the bowl from time to time. Sprinkle in the Old bay, Worcestershire Sauce, horseradish and the 6 oz. of non-lump meat and mix until combined.

(Doing this before folding in the lump meat ensures there’s crab in every bite, with surprise morsels of the sweet lump meat throughout.)

Remove the paddle attachment and remove the bowl from the stand mixer, if using. With a silicone spatula, gently fold in the lump crab meat.

This is when you will empty the dip into a dish, only to realize it is too small – then transfer it into the dish that your mother-in-law-to-be sent over a few months back and you haven’t returned yet. Or, if you’re smart, empty the dish into an oven safe dish that can hold 4 or more cups.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook for 40 minutes, uncovering half way through, or until the top of the dish is golden brown and bubbly.

Let it rest for about 10 minutes so you don’t burn your mouth. Serve with crusty bread or if you’re feeling the need for some crunch, celery and carrots.

 




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