Christmas Eve Cream of Crab Soup

[rmaynard 15,434]

When I was a child, every Christmas eve, my mother made oyster stew for dinner. I never cared for it, so after she and my father passed, my wife and I decided to start a new tradition and make Cream of (Maryland) Crab soup. It's been a big hit now for the last 25 years. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

6 tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced

2 small potatoes, pealed and medium diced

2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tbsp dry mustard

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

4 cups half & half

2 cups whole milk

1 pound of Jumbo Lump Maryland crabmeat

2 tbsp dry sherry

2 tbsp chopped parsley

 

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, Old Bay, and mustard. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until potatoes are just barely tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Return to medium heat and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in half & half and milk, stirring constantly. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thickened. Add crabmeat and simmer for additional 15 minutes. When ready to serve, add parsley and sherry if desired.

 

Bon appetit! 🦀

 

1998 price to make the soup was approximately $15.00

2019 price was approximately $30.00

This year my cost is right around $50.00

 

Merry Christmas to all.

 

[WHX?? 48,809]

Sorry Bob you know the rules ... no pic it didn't happen. @Ed Kennell you see this? You Easties are really starting to tick me off!

[Ed Kennell 38,096]

7 hours ago, rmaynard said:

This year my cost is right around $50.00

    These are for sale near you Bob.

 

[WHX?? 48,809]

7 hours ago, rmaynard said:

cost is right around $50.00

 

Why so much you must be buying the crab? 'Course if you was to fish the crab... boat, motor, gas, oil,  aforementioned traps it would be alot more right Ed?

I was to buy the 🦀 it would be 250. 

I suppose a guy could make it out of fake crab and just not tell anybody. Don't think I would be fooling anyone in these parts tho. 

Thinking sub some sort of local fish might be OK too? 

[Ed Kennell 38,096]

3 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

'Course if you was to fish the crab... boat, motor, gas, oil,  aforementioned traps it would be alot more right Ed?

Right,.about the same as venison and salmon.        Around $250/lb.    But look at all the fun we have.

[rmaynard 15,434]

46 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

Why so much you must be buying the crab?

Yes. Jumbo lump crabmeat is currently $45.99/lb. All the other ingredients are cheap 

[rmaynard 15,434]

11 hours ago, WHX?? said:

Sorry Bob you know the rules ... no pic it didn't happen. @Ed Kennell you see this? You Easties are really starting to tick me off!

 

If we "easties" are ticking you off, just remember that the best news storys down here start off like this... "In other news, a Wisconsin man"...

 

We still love ya brother.

[c-series don 8,677]

I guess I’m an eastie, here’s some pictures of the Atlantic Ocean from my bulldozer at work this week. Can’t get much more east than this without a boat! 

[JoeM 7,871]

Reminds me of my trips to Baltimore. I would stop at the GM Restaurant and order a jumbo crab cake and a bowl of creme of crab soup. Drop the cake in the soup and it don't get much better than that. 

It ain't cheap. 

Several years back was out that way picking up a tractor. My neighbor rode along. I ask him if he liked crab cakes, oh yeah I do! Got seated and he ordered two and some other stuff. He told me he was picking up the bill cause you always buy. I told him you know the crab cakes are $19 a piece. He got the big eyes and said, I will get the tip. Works for me. Lol.

 

[rmaynard 15,434]

50 minutes ago, JoeM said:

Several years back the crab cakes are $19 

 

And now that same single crab cake is $29.00. Of course it includes fries.

[wallfish 16,994]

2 hours ago, rmaynard said:

 

And now that same single crab cake is $29.00. Of course it includes fries.

Worth every cent. I love those Maryland crab cakes!

Other areas try to mimic them but they never ever taste as good

[rmaynard 15,434]

1 hour ago, wallfish said:

Worth every cent. I love those Maryland crab cakes!

Other areas try to mimic them but they never ever taste as good

Roger that John 

[WHX?? 48,809]

Around here them would be 40 dollar crab cakes ... if you could even find the real McCoy. 

Just to say stick it in your ear guys this is what we have in the Midwest for Xmas eve. $80 chunk of prime rib beef with sauteed mushrooms & onions.

Life's too short. 

[Ed Kennell 38,096]

Lunch at son, Mark and wife Julie's today.

 

A kettle of Maryland Crab Soup w/ sourdough bread and salad.

 

Mark's recipe...he always doubles the batch.       Also excellent.

 

 

 

                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Ed Kennell

[WHX?? 48,809]

On 12/23/2023 at 7:34 PM, rmaynard said:

Yes. Jumbo lump crabmeat is currently $45.99/lb. All the other ingredients are cheap 

OK Bob just saw this on FB and this seafood barn is real local. 

Far cry from 46 lb? Something rotten in Denmark with this guy's price? 

[rmaynard 15,434]

I wouldn't give you 19 cents for Venezuela crab meat. There is a reason why Maryland seafood is the best.

[WHX?? 48,809]

So why is that Bob? Different flavor... texture?  Skool me here ... I just want some of that soup.

Last I recollect the apple crisp from here was the best too...

[Ed Kennell 38,096]

Here's where we get our crab meat.      L-R  son Mike, son Mark, and grandson Clayton working our secret creek on the  Delaware Bay.    

 

 

 

BTW, I never use Old Bay seasoning.       I prefer J.O.s #2 seasoning on my $250/lb blue claws.    

[Sailman 1,291]

Grew up in Iowa with Norwegian ancestors and a simple oyster stew with oysters, salted butter, whole milk , salt and pepper was always a Christmas Eve treat. Still carry that tradition on with my family today.

Years ago I was planning a "surprise" trip for my wife's 30th birthday. She was always the planner, not me, but this time I made the effort. I was going to tell her how to pack but she would not know where we were going until we got to the airport.

Couple days before the trip I had to let her know because there were hurricane predictions where we were headed. I called the bed and breakfast, car rental, etc folks down there and they all said "don't worry about it...this happens all the time and there won't be any problems...come on down." Being a sailor I know a thing or two about the weather and was uneasy with their promises. Night before we were to leave I am on the phone with Delta trying to see what our options were to change flights. After going through many management levels we finally got someone to change our flight to Baltimore and planned to go to Annapolis instead (Annapolis, a drinking town with a sailing problem). So instead of everything being planned and reserved we went on a whim and a prayer. Leaving the Baltimore airport we went past Annapolis curious about finding the coast and stumbled upon Harris Crab House in Kent Narrows off Prospect Bay. When they brought out that huge platter of Maryland Blue Crabs we thought we were in heaven! We picked up a Maryland Crab Stew recipe from the restaurant before we left and it is now part of our Christmas tradition also. We had a great time in Annapolis and from our hotel room one evening we watched on TV as Katrina hit exactly where we were supposed to be..... in the French Quarter in New Orleans. We never tried to get deposits back from the places we had reserved there...they had enough problems to deal with.

[rmaynard 15,434]

16 hours ago, WHX?? said:

So why is that Bob? Different flavor... texture?  Skool me here ... I just want some of that soup.

Last I recollect the apple crisp from here was the best too...

All of the above, flavor, smell, texture would be the top three. Oh, and did I mention smell? My daughter used a mix of "foreign" cab meat to make crab cakes. They were so bad and the smell permeated her house, car, and clothing for days. 

Edited December 26, 2023 by rmaynard

[rmaynard 15,434]

@Sailman You made a wise choice to turn into Harris's. Been there many times, done the crabs, and have the tee-shirt to prove it.

 

[Ed Kennell 38,096]

Wanna go crabbing?     Look up Chuck at the Wye River Landing for some of the best Chesapeake Bay Crabs.    Just a few miles SE of Kent Narrows

.Schnaitman's Boat Rentals - Boat Rental Service in Wye Mills (schnaitmansboatrentals.com)

 

 

[rmaynard 15,434]

3 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Wanna go crabbing?     Look up Chuck at the Wye River Landing for some of the best Chesapeake Bay Crabs.    Just a few miles SE of Kent Narrows

.Schnaitman's Boat Rentals - Boat Rental Service in Wye Mills (schnaitmansboatrentals.com)

 

 

Ed, when my mother and father were still living, they would camp at Jane's Island State Park in Crisfield, MD. Back then (early 1980's) you could crab right off the pier. You could have up to 10 single lines and 4 crab pots. All you needed was one adult with a fishing license, and the crabs must be consumed at your campsite. We would have steamed crabs every night. Then later, the state got greedy and required a crabbers license for anyone with a line in the water.

[Ed Kennell 38,096]

3 hours ago, rmaynard said:

Then later, the state got greedy and required a crabbers license for anyone with a line in the water.

Actually you can still crab for free with hand lines.     The $10 annual license is required if you use trot lines, ring traps, or box traps.   Still pretty cheap with one crab selling for $5.

 

I have no dog in the fight promoting Chuck Schnaitman's boat rental.   But in addition to renting boats and motors, Chuck is a commercial crabber that runs a few charter crabbing trips during the season.     This is a day of trotline crabbing on a very safe well equipped boat where the clients do the dipping of the crabs as the trotline brings them to the surface and keep all the crabs.    It is not uncommon for the retail price of the crabs caught to equal the cost of the charter.

It can be a great way to expose younger family members to the bay and crabbing.     

[c-series don 8,677]

I remember going crabbing here on eastern Long Island as a child with my family. We would go at night with a John boat, lights and nets. Probably the thing I remember most is them shaking the crabs out of the net and then the crabs not landing in the bucket. Then the crabs would run around inside the boat and scare the living crap out of me!! I’m also pretty sure the adults consumed copious amounts of alcohol on these adventures 😂 Bringing them back to my grandparents house on the bay, steaming, picking and EATING  the crabs was obviously the best part!