She Crab Soup!

Yum Yum Good!

Last week we talked about the power of traditions to connect our family to each other. As a child, I took traditions for granted. Our family put up a tree, received stockings and went to church as part of our celebrations. We had big meals with lots and lots of goodies that my mom spent weeks, literally, baking. I come from a family of eight. Since I am number seven, Christmas meant my entire family came home; spouses and children in tow. (Becoming an aunt at eight years old was quite an adventure!)

Christmas Eve had it’s own menu with oyster stew being the special treat. Now, to a child who grew up in Iowa and rarely had seafood of any kind, oysters were down right yucky. I would never let my mom know that; to my parents those little gray blobs were like gold floating in that milky white broth!

As my own little family grew, I continued Mom’s tradition of soup on Christmas Eve, except I offer my family two choices. Cheddar Chowder is one of our favorites! It is the feature recipe on She Cooks today. I hope you will stop by LeAnn’s site to get this tasty and super easy all-in-one meal. LeAnn is a dear friend of mine as well as the executive director of Proverbs 31 Ministries. It is one happy day when she brings in tasty foods on Wednesdays…that’s the day I volunteer!

Our second family favorite holds on to the seafood soup of my childhood. Moving to the South, I tasted She Crab Soup and was hooked. I hope you will try this wonderful warm treat sometime this winter. You don’t have to be from the South to love the food! (Don’t let the list intimidate you…it’s really easy!)

She Crab Soup


Ingredients:


1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely diced
4 ounces whole butter
4 ounces all purpose flour
Splash Sherry
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint water
2 pints whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
several dashes of hot sauce
1/4# of crab roe (if you can find it 🙂
1/4 pound jumbo lump crab meat
1 bunch fresh chives, finely diced
1 bunch scallions tops, finely diced


Directions:
In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, saute the onions and celery in the whole butter until translucent. Stir in the flour and cook over a low flame for approximately five minutes. Add a splash of Sherry then the cream, stir this. Then add the water and milk. Now add the salt, hot sauce and crab roe. 


Bring to a simmer then add the crab meat. Stir in the crab gently as to not break the lumps. If the soup appears too thick, add a little more milk and adjust the seasonings. Serve in a soup cup and garnish with the scallions, chives and a splash of sherry.


ENJOY!

Lynn