Maryland Crab Soup (Maryland crab soup)

Overview

Maryland crab soup is a tomato-based vegetable soup filled with blue crab, the famous shellfish of Chesapeake Bay. Onion, celery and carrot are softened, then tomatoes, broth, potatoes, green beans, corn, peas and lima beans go in with a generous amount of Old Bay seasoning. When the vegetables are tender, lump crab meat and sometimes crab claws are added and gently heated. The soup is spicy, slightly sweet and briny, quite different from the creamy cream of crab or she-crab soup. It is eaten year-round in Maryland, often in a cup alongside steamed crabs.

History

Blue crabs from Chesapeake Bay have been central to the food of Maryland for centuries. The vegetable version of crab soup developed in home kitchens in the early twentieth century, and Old Bay seasoning, created in Baltimore in 1939, became its signature spice. Many families and restaurants in Baltimore and on the Eastern Shore have their own recipes, and it is a fixture at crab houses and church suppers.

Main ingredients

Blue crab meat, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, old bay seasoning, potatoes, beef or vegetable broth. The soup is built on spiced tomato broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.

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Recipe

4Serves

1 h15 prep · 45 cook

~280kcal / serving

EasyDifficulty

Method

1. 1

   Soften the onion, celery and carrot in a little oil.

2. 2
   20 min

   Add the tomatoes, broth, Old Bay and potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. 3
   10 min

   Add the mixed vegetables and cook for 10 minutes.

4. 4
   5 min

   Stir in the crab meat and heat gently for 5 minutes.

5. ✓

   Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.

Sources

• Maryland crab soup (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.