Maryland Crab Soup

A classic from the shores of Maryland.  You can try this for a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday.

• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 head cabbage, cored and chopped
• 2 cups chopped green beans
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn)
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz. ) can tomato paste
• 12 cups fish stock
• 1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
• Cooked blue crab halves and claws, leftover from a crab feast (as many as you can fit in your two hands at once or however many will fit in the pot)
• Salt

METHOD

Place the onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, green beans, corn, tomatoes (and their juices), tomato paste, stock and Old Bay Seasoning in your soup pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour over medium-low heat.

Clean the crabs by removing the carapace, gills, and guts, retaining the hepatopancreases (internal organs that resemble yellowish green mustard) and adding them to the soup. Crack the remaining cephalothoraces in half. Add these and any spare claws to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes more. Season with salt to taste. Serve hot.

Serves: 10 to 12

Copied with permission from ©2005 David Ansel, The Soup Peddler's Slow and Difficult Soup, published by Ten Speed Press

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" Using fish stock is more authentic to the birthplace of this soup - the low-lying tidewater Maryland - where fish bones are more plentiful than cow bones. Note also the use of fresh corn in this recipe. It is a summer soup, and summer is the height of the sweet corn season in Maryland. Consider adding the corncobs to your fish stock for this soup." From The Soup Peddler's Slow & Difficult Soups

Happy Holiday Cooking!

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