- 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups half and half cream
- 4 teaspoons finely-grated onion
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/4 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest (rind)
- 1 1/2 pounds flaked blue crab meat*
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- yolks from 2 hard-cooked eggs, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh parsley leaves
Preparation
Step 1
In a large, heavy pot over low heat, melt butter; add flour and blend until smooth. Slowly add milk and half and half cream, stirring constantly with a whisk; cook until thickened.
Add onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, white pepper, mace, cayenne pepper, and lemon zest. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, add crabmeat and crab roe or crumbled hard-cooked egg yolks; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes (if the soup appears about to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a minute or so, then return). Remove from heat and add sherry, stirring to mix. Let sit for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.
To serve, pour the soup into individual heated soup bowls, dividing the crabmeat equally into each bowl. Garnish with crumbled egg yolks and parsley. Serve immediately. Yields: 4 servings
* If you live in parts of the country where blue crab is not available, other types of crabmeat, such as Dungeness, snow, king, or rock crab may be substituted.