She-Crab Soup, Charleston Style
(from cokerlj’s recipe box)
Haven’t tried.
This ultra rich soup is perhaps Lewis’s most famous dish. It makes an exquisite first course. Keep portions small.
Source: Recipe Thing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 3 cups milk
- 4 cups (1 quart) heavy cream
- 1 pound crab meat, picked free of all shell and cartilage
- 2 tablespoons dry or sweet sherry
- 2 teaspoons salt (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
- 2 cups crab roe, if available; or 6
- hard-boiled eggs (optional)
- Optional garnish: finely chopped
- parsley
Directions
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Using heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter is melted, slowly stir in milk; mix well. Leave milk on low burner; cook 15 minutes. Stir milk occasionally to keep from burning on bottom; do not bring to near boil.
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Pour cream into wide frying pan. Cook briskly until cream is thick, about 10 minutes. Pour cream into butter-and-milk mixture; stir well.
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Add crab meat; pour soup into top of double boiler; set over simmering water. Cook about 30 minutes, letting flavor develop.
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Season soup with sherry, salt (if desired) and generous (if desired) sprinkle of cayenne.
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Add crab roe; check seasoning. If crab roe is not available, use hard-boiled eggs, crumbling half of egg in each bowl before ladling in soup.
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Garnish with parsley; serve hot. Makes 12 servings.