She-Crab Soup Recipe

She-Crab Soup is Charleston's most elegant bowl: sweet lump crabmeat folded into a velvety cream soup, brightened with sherry and a whisper of mace. Traditionally made with female crabs and their roe, it is Lowcountry luxury at its finest.

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

Servings

4 servings

Calories

460

Ingredients

• 500 g lump crabmeat, picked over
• 50 g butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 750 ml fish or chicken stock
• 250 ml double cream
• 100 ml dry sherry, plus extra to serve
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• Fresh chives, chopped
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and soften the onion for 5 minutes until translucent.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes to form a pale roux.
3. Whisk in the stock gradually, then simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Add the cream, sherry, mace, white pepper and tomato paste if using, and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
5. Fold in the crabmeat carefully so the lumps stay intact, and warm through for 3 minutes.
6. Season to taste, remembering the crab and stock already carry salt.
7. Serve in warm bowls with a splash of sherry, chives and lemon wedges.

Pro tips

• Pick the crabmeat carefully for shell; nothing ruins a silky soup faster.
• Keep the heat gentle once the cream is in, so the soup never boils hard.
• Add the crab last and briefly, so it stays sweet and tender.
• A little roe stirred in is traditional if you can find female crabs.

Frequently asked questions