Bahamian Crab Soup Recipes

BAHAMIAN CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Preparation
• Remove back (top) shell from body of crab.
• Remove fat from back shell, being careful not to break the bitter gall.
• Discard gall and back shells.
• Remove fat from body shell, if any.
• Save fat and body shells and set aside.
• In a pot fry out salt pork or heat bacon fat or oil; add onion, tomato paste, flour and seasonings.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are golden brown.
• Crack body shells and add with claws and crab fat to cooking pot; cook and stir 1 minute.
• Add 2 quarts boiling water and rice; simmer 2 hours.
• Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and whatever you have may be added.
• Serve hot.

VENETIAN CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook onion, celery, and fennel, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn pink. Stir in tomatoes with their juice. Simmer, breaking up tomatoes slightly with a wooden spoon, 3 minutes, then add ginger, saffron, curry powder, and bay leaf and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and boil uncovered 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45 minutes.
• Discard bay leaf, then purée soup (including shrimp shells) in batches in a blender until finely ground, about 2 minutes per batch (use caution when blending hot liquids). Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding solids.
• Peel and dice potato. Peel and dice enough celery root to measure 1/2 cup. Add potato and celery root to soup and gently simmer uncovered until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and crabmeat. Season with salt and pepper.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Set the oven to broil, and preheat for 5 minutes.
• Place the red bell pepper quarters skin-side up on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Broil until the skins have blackened, then place them in a brown paper bag, or in a covered bowl and allow them to steam for approximately 10 minutes to loosen the skins.
• Once the skins have loosened, peel them off and discard. Coarsely chop the peeled, roasted peppers, and place into a large saucepan along with the chicken broth and chopped potato. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the half-and-half, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and basil. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Once the potatoes have softened, puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into another saucepan and stir in the crab. Heat over medium heat to warm through, about 5 minutes.

BAHAMIAN CRAB N' RICE

Steps:

• Wash live crabs under the tap using a toothbrush to wash sand from under band and from between toes until completely clean.
• Turn crab with eyes away,upside down,slipping a blunt knife (a butter knife is ideal) between the shell's seam,push upward to seperate the crab's shell in two.
• Be careful not to push the knife too far (the gall sac is in the direct path of the knife!).
• Pull apart.
• Scoop the fat from both sides of the shell into a bowl using the knife or a spoon.
• Discard the empty half shell,band,mouth,gills and all other remaining internal organs,leaving behind the toes.
• Break the two segments in half by holding each half securely and snapping apart.
• This can also be done by chopping the segment with a cleaver.
• Wash the toe segments under the tap and put them in the bowl with the fat.
• This process is to be repeated until each crab is processed.
• Place a large pot over medium high heat, adding the vegetable/corn oil.
• Allow the oil to heat until a drop of water sizzles when dripped in the oil.
• Add onion,green pepper,salt,black pepper,seasoned salt,thyme,scotch bonnet and stir.
• Saute ingredients until onion is transparent, stirring constantly,about 3 to five minutes.
• Add crab fat and segments, saute, stirring constantly until fat is liquid, about 7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, stir ingredients together for another 5 minutes.
• Add water.
• Stir ingredients with the water,taste, adjust salt to taste,bring to a slow simmer.
• Gently pour rice into pot, stirring slowly to ensure even distribution of the rice in the liquid.
• Turn heat down to low and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid to prevent steam from escaping. Foil can be used under the lid to prevent the steam escaping.
• Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
• Do not lift lid while cooking.
• Turn heat off and let rice stand covered for 10-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Fluff and serve hot.