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She Crab Bisque

This will probably come as no surprise, but I’m a little bit obsessed by food. So this is what it’s like to travel with me. I like to find out ahead of time what the specialty of the city/region/country is, and then make a point of tasting it at every meal. (I eat other food too!)

Last summer when we went to Boston, I ate clam chowder for lunch and dinner, every day…yes, every meal, except breakfast, ’cause that would have been just weird!

Crab vendor in New York’s Union Square market giving me a quick lesson in “Crustacean Anatomy”.

The same thing happened a couple of years ago when we went to Charleston. I had never had She Crab Bisque. If you’ve never tried something before, how do you know if the one time you have it, if it’s good, or even the best? I like to  construct a Venn Diagram in my mouth, comparing texture, flavor and consistency at each meal. Only then, can I make a decision as to what the best is. Of course, this is purely subjective.
What I did decide, is that just like clam chowder, I don’t want it so thick that it resembles wallpaper paste, but it shouldn’t be too watery either.

How to tell a “He Crab” from a “She Crab”?…the males have the “Washington Monument” on their undersides.

I’ve been thinking about making  She Crab Bisque since that Charleston trip. I googled a couple of different recipes and based on what I already knew about soups, came to realize that it’s just a béchamel base soup, with lots of cream and milk. Could I make it a little healthier, by reducing the amount of milk and  eliminating the heavy cream? I fiddled around with a veloute base (chicken broth) and came up with something I think is the best of both worlds. What gives the bisque that certain ineffable quality is the addition of sherry. Don’t skip that bit. I also like to add a shot of sherry just before serving for an extra kick.

She crabs have the “Capitol Building” on their tummies.

In a perfect, very French world, I would use the shells of the crabs, (that I steamed myself) and make a super rich stock. Now I can hear you guffawing. Not a chance! Using fresh crabmeat in a tub from the grocery store makes this soup surprisingly fast! I whipped it up in under a 1/2 hour. It’s rich, so all it needs is a simple salad and maybe some crusty bread and butter to sop up the dregs.

She Crab Bisque

4 oz unsalted butter

8 tablespoons flour

1 small onion, chopped, fine

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 can chicken broth

2 cups low-fat milk

1/2 cup  sherry

1 cup regular milk (or more low-fat milk or chicken broth to thin)

1 lb.  fresh crab meat (in a tub at the meat counter…or if you’re really ambitious, steam your own!)

Fresh chopped parsley and paprika for garnish

1. Melt butter over medium low heat, add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add flour to butter and stir, until well blended. Cook a couple of minutes.
3. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, stirring constantly until smooth. Add the milk the same way, stirring constantly. Add Worcestershire, Old Bay, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add in crab meat and sherry. Adjust consistency, adding more milk, cream or broth to thin if necessary. Cook just until heated.
5. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and a dash of paprika.

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