No matter how fancy or exotic my cooking gets, at the end of the day, I’m just a girl from Maryland and sometimes I want to eat food that reminds me of home.  New England has clam chowder, Manhattan has their clam chowder, and in Maryland we have our crab soup.  Thanks to the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs are plentiful from April to November.   During the summer months, crab feasts are in abundance in Maryland but as fall starts to kick in, there’s no better way to utilize the end of season crabs then by using them in this delicious soup.

My recipe for Maryland Crab soup is simple and now that blue crab meat has become available nationwide, anyone can make it.  Aside from crab I also use ingredients commonly found in “Chesapeake cooking” like Old Bay Crab Boil Seasoning and Worcestershire Sauce.  They both bring depth and a spicy kick to this delicious soup.  I hope you try it and enjoy a taste of Maryland!

Ingredients: (Makes 4-5 servings)

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups baby potatoes, diced
  • 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 ½ quarts chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 lb. crabmeat, lump or back fin, shells removed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
  • Juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the diced celery, carrots, and onions to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened.  Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Then add the diced potatoes, old bay, and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir vegetables and allow everything to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables have begun to absorb the seasonings.  Next, add the tomatoes (with juice) and stock, stir to combine and bring soup to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. 

Gently stir in the crabmeat and frozen corn and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the crabmeat is heated through and the corn is no longer frozen.  Lastly, stir in the parsley and lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately with crusty bread.