Slow Cooker She Crab Soup

About the recipe

She crab soup is a creamy Low Country bisque, flavored with sherry and the roe of female crabs. Because crab roe is seasonal and often difficult to find, claw crabmeat offers the most pronounced crab flavor at a great value. Blending half of the crab into the soup gives body and deep crab flavor, while stirring in the remaining crab at the end brings texture and briny brightness.

Cooking everything in a slow cooker keeps the recipe ultra-streamlined and easy. Using crackers to thicken the soup is a great shortcut and prevents the need to whisk together a roux.

Serves: 8

Hands On Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours and 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 pound claw crabmeat

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons white wine

Zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground celery seed

3/4 cup crushed butter crackers

2 tablespoons dry sherry

Kosher salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the milk, cream, half of the crab, butter, wine, lemon zest, Old Bay, nutmeg and celery seed. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Whisk in the cracker crumbs and sherry. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth, thickened and creamy. (Alternatively, blend the soup in batches in a conventional blender.) Stir in the remaining crab and season to taste with salt. Serve hot.