She Crab Stew Recipes

THE VERY BEST SHE-CRAB SOUP EVER!

Steps:

• Melt 2 TBSP butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and bay leaf, cover, sweat 2 minutes.
• OPTIONAL STEP: Pour 1/4 C sherry in pan and ignite. Stir until flames subside. I've made this without doing this step (hence the range in the amount of sherry on the ingredient list) and it is still delicious, but I think this just gives it a little extra oomph.
• Sprinkle the flour in and stir to coat.
• Whisk in the crab stock until there are no lumps.
• Gradually add: milk; cream; paprika; another 2 TBSP dry sherry; worcestershire sauce; hot sauce; white wine; and lemon, stirring consistently.
• Blend with a puree wand, or in batches in a blender.
• Add half of the crab meat and roe (if you are lucky!) Season with salt and pepper.
• Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't burn, until it is thick and heated.
• Divide 1/4 C sherry and remaining crab meat and roe amongst 4 bowls. (1 TBSP each sherry and roe and 2 oz. each crab meat).
• Ladle soup over sherry and crab meat.
• Garnish with chopped chives. Serve with crusty french bread.

SOUTH CAROLINA SHE-CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a smooth paste, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in the onion, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir for about 4 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in the half and half cream so that no lumps form. Stir in chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, and pour in half of the sherry. Season with dill, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until soup has reduced by 1/3. Add crabmeat, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Ladle soup into bowls, and top off with a splash of the remaining sherry and a sprinkle of fresh chives.

QUICK CRAB STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soups, milk, and half and half. Add the crabmeat and bring just to a boil. Add the sherry, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Or allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate or freeze immediately in plastic microwavable reusable containers with lids.

SOUTHERN CRAB STEW

Steps:

• In a large pot combine butter, onions, bell pepper, celery and Old Bay cook until veggies are soft.
• Next, add in your soups, milk, crabmeat.
• Simmer until heated through, stirring constantly.
• Add cooked potatoes, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.
• Continue to keep it warm on low heat stirring occasionally.
• We like to add a little hot sauce to ours as well.

CAROLINA SHE-CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium low, whisk in the flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly. You are essentially making a roux without browning it. Stir in the seafood seasoning, nutmeg, bay leaf and pepper, then whisk in the sherry and clam juice. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until very thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the seafood stock and crab roe, if using, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream and Worcestershire, return to a simmer and cook until thickened and reduced slightly, another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, then puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or use a regular blender; let cool slightly first, and use caution when blending hot liquids). Season with salt. Stir in the crabmeat and garnish with crab roe if desired.

FAUX SHE-CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until the onions become translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add freshly cracked white pepper and stir in the flour to make a light roux. Set the roux aside.
• In another saucepan, over low heat, combine the clam juice and the half-and-half. Heat slowly until the mixture almost comes to a simmer.
• Slowly whisk the clam juice mixture into the roux. Stir in the sherry and fold in the crabmeat. Add seafood seasoning, to taste. Slowly reheat the sauce. (DO NOT BOIL!) If necessary, add milk to desired consistency. This should be a thick soup, so go slow with the milk.
• Ladle the soup into small serving bowls and top each with a dollop of masago. Grate fresh nutmeg on top and serve with crostini.

CLASSIC SHE CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Place eggs in a 2 quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10-12 minutes. Remove eggs from hot water and cool.
• Press the yolks of hard-boiled eggs through a sieve and set aside.
• In a large pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the green onions and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, milk and cream. Bring to a simmer.
• Add cooked egg yolks, crabmeat, sherry, salt and pepper and heat through. Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with a pinch of paprika and a lemon slice.

SHE-CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• 1 Bring a large pasta pot two-thirds full of water to a boil, and using tongs, transfer 2 of the crabs to the pot. Cook until their shells turn bright orange, about 3 minutes, then transfer the cooked crabs to a colander set in the sink and run cold water over them. Add the next 2 crabs to the pot and repeat until all the crabs have been cooked.
• 2 As each cooked crab becomes cool enough to handle, slip your thumb beneath the place on its underside where the cape of shell tapers to a point, and lift the bottom shell up, pulling the entire carapace off the body of the crab. Clean out and discard the spongy-feathery gills on the body. Carefully pick out any orange roe you may see inside the body, and reserve. Then snap one of the smaller legs off the body of the crab to use as a pick, to tease out any roe in the hollows of the carapace that taper to a sharp point, and reserve. Repeat with the remaining crabs until all the roe has been picked. Then split the crab bodies and legs, pick the meat from them, and add it to the rest of the picked crab meat.
• 3 Pour off all but 3 cups of the cooking water, and add the picked crab bodies, legs, and carapaces, then return to a boil. Let boil until reduced by a third, about 10 minutes, and strain the crab broth into a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven.
• 4 Heat the broth over high heat until it simmers. Put the flour in a small bowl or ramekin, spoon 3 tablespoons of the hot broth into it, and whisk it to a smooth paste with a fork. Pour the remaining broth into a blender, add 1/4 cup of the crab roe, and liquefy until the roe is completely dissolved in the broth. With the blender running, add the flour paste to the broth.
• 5 Return the Dutch oven to the heat and melt the butter over medium-low heat until it's frothy. Add the shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft, fragrant, and translucent, but not brown, about 4 minutes. Add the half-and-half, the broth mixture, and 1 tablespoon of the sherry, and cover. When the soup comes to a simmer, turn the heat to low, uncover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup has reduced by about one-sixth, 12 to 15 minutes.
• 6 Add the crab meat and cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring to combine. Season the soup with salt and black pepper.
• 7 Pour a teaspoon of sherry into each bowl before serving, and garnish each bowl with about 11/2 teaspoons roe and chives, if using. Serve with additional sherry-in a shot glass for each guest, or in a cruet for passing around the table-for those who might want more.

THE LADY & SONS CRAB STEW

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring to blend it in, then add the garlic. Gradually add the cream and half-and-half, stirring constantly. Add the bouillon cubes and stir well. As the mixture begins to thicken, add the crabmeat, then the sherry and pepper. If the stew seems too thick, thin it with clam juice, which will also add a lot of flavor. Serve in a mug, garnished with grated Parmesan and snipped chives.