my finished product - She-Crab Soup
On a pretty cold and rainy day, I decided on a whim to head out and pick up the ingredients to make She-Crab Soup. This is a must for me to order when I'm in the South. I'm on a quest to find the best She-Crab Soup in the Low Country (so far, it's Frank's in Pawleys Island, SC). My other ongoing quest is to find the best Lobster Roll (so far, it's Haraseeket Lunch & Lobster in Freeport, ME).
I found Emeril's recipe to be the one with most of the ingredients I had in the pantry. And, it did not call for crab roe. I just didn't have the strength to search high and low for it, so that eliminated a bunch of recipes. Emeril's was the easiest to work with - though you can easily get by on just 1 pound of crabmeat. The original recipe is here on Food Network's website. Here's what I ended up doing...
She-Crab Soup
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 small onions, finely chopped
6 ribs of celery, finely grated
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 quart whole milk
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds crab meat, picked over for cartilage (you can easily get by with just 1 pound)
2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped (I upped it 1 from the original recipe)
1/2 cup sherry
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 small onions, finely chopped
6 ribs of celery, finely grated
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 quart whole milk
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds crab meat, picked over for cartilage (you can easily get by with just 1 pound)
2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped (I upped it 1 from the original recipe)
1/2 cup sherry
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Directions
In the top of a double-boiler, melt the butter and flour together. Cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes for a blond roux. Stir in the onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and mace. Cook the vegetables for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Stir in the crab meat and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes. Reseason if necessary. Sprinkle the chopped eggs in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the soup into each bowl. Drizzle the soup with the sherry. Garnish with chopped parsley.
(Constantly shouting "BAM!" when a new ingredient is added to the double boiler is completely optional)
