I live in Virginia and they serve a She-Crab soup here in the restraunts and this recipe is very close to the ones I have had, but I did add the old bay seasoning and served it with buttered french bread.
I picked up 2 live crabs along with all the rest of the ingredients and was serving this along with Shrimp Creole for a Fat Tuesday celebration. I took the shrimp shells, left over onion after grating it, piece of celery, water and cooked the crabs resulting in a nice seafood broth which I used instead of chicken stock. The crabs turned out to be girls so I took their eggs, mashed them up and added them to the soup for more flavor and saved a pinch to serve on top as a garnish. RAVE reviews from my dinner guests. Will definately make this again!
I really liked this recipe. Just what I was looking for. Used Old Bay, added some fresh squeezed lemon, and it was perfect for New Years Eve dinner. Will use this recipe again, and again...
I just made this soup tonight for the first time. I have to say that this is THE BEST soup that I've ever made and eaten. I did however make several additions to the soup to kick it up a notch.
Instead of 5 tablespoons of butter & flour I added 8 tablespoons, I used fish stock instead of the chicken broth (HIGHLY recommend), didn't use the hot pepper sauce, used 1.5 pounds of crabmeat, and added a VAST amount of Old Bay, salt, & pepper for flavor.
This recipe, along with my additions, is well worth the money you will spend to make this soup. Hands down the best soup I've ever eaten & I will definitely make this again. It takes me back to the she-crab soup that I enjoyed at The Salty Dog in Hilton Head, SC.
I HIGHLY suggest this recipe & use the additions that I did. You will not be disappointed!!
Really great recipe we did modify it some based on other reviews. We substituted Seafood Stock for the Chicken Broth and added 1 Tablespoon of Old Bay. We also increased the crab to 2 pounds (we like a lot of crab!) It tasted just like the soup we get at our favorite restaurant in Virginia Beach!
Nice recipe. It should be labeled as Crab bisques as there is not "She Crab" in it.
This was very good but I felt it needed more seasonings. I added Old Bay black pepper and paprika right in the roux. A bit of sherry gave it a nice flavor too. All in all a very nice recipe. Thanks!
This recipe is a perfect tribute to lowcountry fare at its very best.
Love this recipe since I am missing the she-crab soup from my fav restaurants in Virginia Beach tastes just like them! I always add old bay though.