Paula Deen Crab Soup

Paula Deen crab soup is a creamy, velvety seafood soup with lump crabmeat, sherry and fresh chives that comes together in 20 minutes. This easy Southern comfort food crab soup fits a holiday table, church supper and Sunday dinner, and it feeds 10 from one pot.

Add the cream and milk slowly after the fish stock, because pouring them in all at once can leave the base lumpy instead of smooth. Rush that part and the soup turns thin or grainy, which hides the sweet crab.

Paula lets the soup simmer just until piping hot, then adjusts the sherry, salt and white pepper at the very end. Topping each bowl with Parmesan and fresh chives adds a salty, savory crunch of flavor that a plain cream soup doesn't have.

Paula Deen Crab Soup

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: SoupCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

290

kcal

A flour-thickened base of butter, garlic and green onion turns silky once the fish stock and cream go in. Gently warmed crabmeat stays tender, so every spoonful tastes rich but not heavy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  

• 1/4 cup sherry
  

• 1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen Lemon Pepper Seasoning
  

• 1 lb picked free of shell crabmeat
  

• 1 cup heavy cream
  

• 1 cup milk
  

• 2 cups fish stock
  

• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
  

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) Butter
  

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  

• 3/4 cup chopped with tops green onion
  

Directions

• Saute the aromatics: Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot, then add 3/4 cup chopped green onion and 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Cook until tender, so the base starts out sweet and fragrant.
• Make the roux: Stir in 3 tablespoons all purpose flour and keep stirring until it's well blended with the butter. That paste is what thickens the soup, so don't let any dry flour hide.
• Add the fish stock: Slowly pour in 2 cups fish stock while you stir. Keep cooking until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
• Stir in the cream: Slowly add 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk, stirring as you go. Then fold in 1 lb crabmeat, picked free of shell, so it warms through gently.
• Season the soup: Add 1/4 cup sherry, 1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen Lemon Pepper Seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Simmer until the soup is piping hot, then taste and adjust the sherry, salt and pepper.
• Serve in bowls: Ladle the soup into bowls while it's hot. Top each one with some of the 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and the 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives.

Tools for this recipe

• Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, OXO 11-inch balloon whisk, OXO wooden spoon set, Parmigiano Reggiano wedges, aged 24 months. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use canned crabmeat instead of fresh?

Yes, drained canned lump crabmeat works when fresh isn't available. Check it for stray bits of shell, since the recipe calls for crabmeat picked free of shell, and fold it in gently so the pieces stay intact.

What can I use if I don't have fish stock?

Bottled clam juice mixed with water is the easiest swap, because it has the same light seafood flavor. Seafood stock from the store also works, but taste before adding salt since some brands are salty.

Can I make crab soup without sherry?

You can leave it out, though the soup loses a little of its sweet, rounded flavor. A splash of dry white wine or a squeeze of lemon makes up for some of that, and you should taste before adding more salt.

How do I store and reheat leftover crab soup?

Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it within a day or two, since seafood doesn't hold long. Reheat gently over low heat, because boiling cream soup can make it separate and toughen the crab.

Why did my crab soup turn out lumpy?

Lumps usually come from adding the cream and milk too fast or from unblended flour in the roux. Stir the flour well into the butter and pour the liquids in slowly while stirring to keep it smooth.