How to Make Cream of Crab Soup: 30-Minute One-Pot Recipe

There's nothing not to love in this easy, rich, cream of crab soup recipe. This creamy base with loads of crab flavor makes a perfect starting soup for a larger meal. This 30-minute one-pot creamy crab soup is a bit on the filling side, so portions are small. What it is not lacking in any way is flavor, which it has to spare.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Preparation

Cream of crab soup.

Why I ❤️ it

Are you a seafood lover? I am. Growing up in a coastal town, seafood was present in many of our weekly meals, and crabs were one of our family favorites. I also love creamy soups, so this is one of my favorite ways to serve crab meat, a creamy broth, and small pieces of crabmeat and vegetables. I love it served with some rustic bread.

So, if you too love seafood and homemade soup, you've found the best recipe, a match made in heaven, and a new crowd favorite any time of year. It'll get enthusiastic approval from everyone in your family. Give this wonderful recipe a try!

Cream of crab soup recipe

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Utensils and tools

• Large soup pot or large saucepan

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter (salted or unsalted butter, whatever you have)
• 1 small onion minced (I prefer red onion, but white also work)
• 12 fresh garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (see notes for gluten-free options)
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups of whole milk
• 3 cups of vegetable broth (or homemade), see variations below
• 2 pound [0.9 kg] of fresh lump crabmeat, clean of cartilage and shell pieces
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley (flat or curly, whatever you have, plus extra for garnish)

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Sautee vegetables

Melt butter over low heat in the pot.

Cook and stir the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until they are cooked through, and the onion has turned translucent. Add the flour and whisk vigorously until all the flour has turned translucent.

Step 2: Add liquids

Add the bay leaves and pour in heavy cream, milk, and broth, and stir in the crabmeat. Increase temperature to medium heat. Add salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring often until the liquids turn into a creamy broth.

Step 3: Serve

Once the broth has thickened, and taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley.

Remove from the heat and serve warm.

Cream of crab variations

Gluten-free option

If you keep a gluten-free diet, substitute cornstarch for flour by dissolving the cornstarch in the liquids before adding them to the pot when it's time to add them.

Milk substitutes

If you don't want or don't have heavy whipping cream, you can use evaporated milk or an equivalent amount of extra whole milk as a substitute. Bear in mind that cream is what makes a really rich cream of crab soup recipe.

Best crab meat options

I prefer jumbo lump crab meat, but use any kind of fresh crab meat you can find. And if you can't find it fresh, you can use canned crabmeat, and even imitation crab meat if that's what you can find in the seafood department.

You can use Dungeness crab or king crab meat for this soup, or whatever you find. Be mindful that all these small changes alter the flavors will change.

Canned crabmeat won't be as good as fresh lump crab meat, but it will still be a tasty creamy crab chowder.

Stock or broth options

I used vegetable stock, but if you can find crab stock, fish stock, or any kind of seafood stock, that will be even better. Check if they have those at your local grocery store.

Chunky option

If you want a more chunky soup, add a cup of canned sweet corn when you add the onion. For extra veggies, you can also add a stalk of celery thinly sliced, and two potatoes diced into tiny cubes.

Adding more spices

For a completely different flavor profile, add some curry powder. A little bit goes a long way; you don't want to overwhelm the crab flavor, so start with half a tablespoon, taste it, and add more if you find it necessary.

Serving suggestions

This recipe goes great with some warm rustic bread, or some toasted baguette, perfect for scooping all the flavors left on the bowl.

Another great choice to go with this is oyster crackers or soda crackers.

More soup recipes

More: soups recipes seafood recipes

Nutritional information

Calories: 628kcal - Carbohydrates: 14g - Protein: 33gFat: 52g - Saturated Fat: 43g - Cholesterol: 64mg - Sodium: 1878mg - Potassium: 913mg - Fiber: 1g - Sugar: 2g - Vitamin A: 1280IU - Vitamin C: 65.3mg - Calcium: 124mg - Iron: 8.8mg

FAQs

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