Cream of Crab Soup

This authentic, Maryland-style cream of crab soup is pure and simple perfection! My classic recipe is made with 10 ingredients and finishes in 35 minutes. Recipe includes a how-to video!

The BEST Cream of Crab

I’m extremely particular about my cream of crab soup. It’s a favorite of mine and easy to find here in Maryland but, frustratingly, too many places don’t do a good job with such a simple recipe. My recipe tackles some of my biggest pet peeves with this classic soup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple. Cream of crab soup should be simple. Sometimes, chefs try to get too fancy and add ingredients that just don’t belong. We keep it simple not because we don’t want to do any extra work, but because there’s no reason to mess with perfection! A few basic ingredients allow the crab to really shine, while accenting it with perfectly balanced flavor and texture.
• Perfect consistency. This is a silky, creamy soup, unlike many recipes that have a too-thick, pasty consistency. It shouldn’t feel like you’re spooning mashed potatoes! You’ll have no problem going back for another spoonful with my recipe!
• Full of flavor. Some crab soups are bland, but not this one. The crab meat is the shining flavor, and it’s accented with Old Bay and a bit of sherry (or wine).
• Maryland staple. If you’ve tried and loved Maryland cream of crab, you are going to LOVE this recipe! As a Maryland native, I can confirm this is the real deal (make sure you check out my authentic Maryland crab cake recipe, too!).

Recipe Origins

I can’t take full credit for this recipe; it actually came from my mother in law…sort of. She doesn’t actually have a recipe and just wings it instead (and every time it turns out phenomenally). I asked her to give me the basics so I could write things down and share it with you today.

The biggest difference between my final version and hers is that she usually finishes her soup with a splash of wine–white or red, whatever she has on hand. I use dry sherry instead, as that is my preference (I talk more about this below).

Rather than being cooked early on (which is how most alcohols are added to my savory recipes – think my beef ragu or vodka sauce), the sherry is added at the very end. This allows it to lend a bolder flavor to the soup; it’s not very much, but the flavor is present and pleasant.

Ingredients

Let’s go over what you need to make the best version of this soup. Heads-up, there’s a lot of cream and butter below!

• Onion. I chop my onion really fine; this helps it blend into the soup with the cream, adds just a subtle texture, and allows the crab to be the real star of the show. I opt for a yellow onion, but you could just as well use a white or sweet onion.
• Flour. This, combined with the butter, creates a roux base for our soup that adds thickness and body. It’s not much flour, but plays an important role here (and in other creamy-based recipes like my chicken pot pie with biscuits)
• Old Bay. A critical ingredient! If you can’t find this where you live you can find it here on Amazon (affiliate link) or use a seafood seasoning from your grocery store.
• Half and half. We’ll use a quart of half and half. If you want, you can substitute the half and half with equal parts whole milk and cream (this would be in addition to the cream that we will add later).
• Heavy cream. This is added in addition to the half and half. Is it a lot of cream? Yes. It it essential for proper texture, thickness, body, and flavor? Also yes. I don’t recommend any lower fat substitutes for the heavy cream or the half and half (other than what I mention above).
• Sherry. Sherry is a classic cream of crab soup ingredient that adds a beautiful depth and great flavor notes. Dry sherry is my preference; I don’t like to use the kind labeled “cooking sherry” as it’s a lower quality and just doesn’t taste as nice. My mother-in-law always uses wine (any kind!) when she makes her version and I included notes on this in the recipe card.
• Crab meat. Use jumbo lump crab meat. Regular lump is too fine for my preference and shreds too easily. It’s best if you can find your crab meat fresh in the seafood section, usually packed and kept on ice. Jumbo lump crab meat is already cooked when you get it, so it doesn’t need to be cooked in the soup. You could alternatively use backfin crab meat. Do NOT under any circumstances use imitation crab meat. That’s how you get kicked out of Maryland.

SAM’S TIP: This soup is also excellent when mixed with Maryland crab soup, a tomato based soup. This is often called 50/50 soup, and it’s less rich than what I’m sharing here today.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make It

1. Cook the onion in melted butter until softened.
2. Whisk in the flour, spices, and salt for about 90 seconds. Letting the spices and flour cook like this enhances their flavor, much like blooming cocoa powder.
3. Drizzle in the half and half while whisking, then let the soup simmer until thickened (make sure to stir it frequently!). You’ll know it’s done when it coats the back of a spoon.
4. Add the cream, sherry, and crab meat and stir until combined. Cook over low heat for a few more minutes (though the soup continues to thicken as it cooks on the stovetop), then enjoy!

SAM’S TIP: It’s very important to let your soup thicken enough after adding the half and half. It should coat the back of the spoon enough that you can’t see the spoon through the soup. Otherwise, it won’t be as thick as it ought to be.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should I Serve with Cream of Crab Soup?

Since this is a rich, indulgent, and filling soup, we serve it in small bowls with a side salad and some crusty bread. My favorites are something with a hearty crust and a soft, tear-able center like my sourdough bread or my quick and easy artisan bread. Biscuits, sourdough biscuits, or sourdough crackers are other great options. For even more Maryland flavor, make my garlic cheese drop biscuits and add ¼ teaspoon Old Bay for “cheddar bay” biscuits!

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe (let me know in the comments!), and if you’re interested in a non-creamy Maryland crab soup, stay tuned because I’ll be sharing my family’s recipe later this year.

Enjoy!

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Cream of Crab Soup

This authentic, Maryland-style cream of crab soup is pure and simple perfection! My classic recipe is made with 10 ingredients and finishes in 35 minutes.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

5 from 22 votes

Print Pin Rate

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Course: Dinner, lunch, Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings (recipe makes 12 cups)

Calories: 479kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 (140 g) medium yellow onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons (25 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning plus additional for garnish, if desired
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon table salt plus more to taste as needed
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more to taste as needed
• ▢ 4 cups (946 ml) half and half 1 quart
• ▢ 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream 1 pint
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons dry sherry
• ▢ 1 lb (453 g) jumbo lump crab meat picked over/shells removed

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  Large pot
• ▢
  Whisk

Instructions

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium/low heat. Once melted, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened.
  4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, 1 (140 g) medium yellow onion
• Add flour and whisk until absorbed by the butter. Add Old Bay, salt, and pepper and continue to cook, whisking or stirring well, another 90 seconds longer.
  3 Tablespoons (25 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• Slowly whisk in half and half until all has been added. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon).
  4 cups (946 ml) half and half
• Slowly stir in heavy cream, then add sherry and crab meat. Stir gently (don’t break up the crab meat too much by stirring vigorously) until combined and reduce heat to low. Cook 5-10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, taste-test for more spices then serve.
  2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons dry sherry, 1 lb (453 g) jumbo lump crab meat

Notes

Half & half

Instead of half & half you may use 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of heavy cream (this is in addition to the other 2 cups of heavy cream called for).

Crab meat

Use fresh crab meat, jumbo lump is my preference, but backfin could be used instead. Lump crab meat is finer and will shred more, but will work if it’s all you can find. Do not use imitation crab meat.

Sherry

Dry sherry is best for this recipe. If you don’t have any, a splash of wine would work, just make sure you try this recipe with sherry at least once to know how it should taste. If substituting wine, I recommend a dry white wine but my mother in law, who this recipe originated from, just uses whatever she happens to have on hand and it always turns out phenomenally! Add the wine to-taste (I usually need a splash more than I do of the sherry).

Storing

Allow soup to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

Freezing

This recipe may be frozen for up to 4 months, but note that I don’t personally love freezing this soup as it tends to degrade and may separate when thawed (it does usually comes back together with some whisking). Allow the soup to cool completely before freezing.

To reheat: thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat on the stovetop over low/medium low heat.

If the soup becomes too thick you can thin by adding a bit of water, but it usually becomes a nice consistency again once reheated.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 638mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1505IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

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