Crab Combination Soup
Submitted by Moosey
Chinese crab combination soup with crabmeat, scallops, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger, and silky egg ribbons in a savory broth. A restaurant-style starter.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
30 minREADY
80 minCrab combination soup is a Chinese-American restaurant standard built around the trick of layering multiple textures into a single bowl. Crabmeat and sliced scallops swim alongside earthy rehydrated dried mushrooms, crunchy bamboo shoots, scallions, and pillowy strips of cooked omelet.
The dried mushrooms are non-negotiable. A 30-minute soak in boiling water rehydrates them into chewy, deeply savory caps that give the broth a smoky umami note no fresh mushroom can match.
The little egg ribbon trick at the end is what makes this soup feel restaurant-grade. Beaten egg whites mixed with water get drizzled into the boiling soup while you stir vigorously, creating delicate silken threads of egg suspended in the broth (similar to egg drop soup but lighter).
A cornstarch slurry with rice wine and soy sauce thickens the broth just enough for the broth to cling to a spoon and carry every bite of seafood with it.
Chef Tips
- Save the mushroom soaking liquid (strain through a coffee filter to remove grit) and stir a few tablespoons into the broth for extra depth.
- Cook the thin omelet (egg crepe) over medium heat. Too hot and it cracks instead of rolling cleanly.
- Add the seafood right at the end. Crab is already cooked and just needs warming. Scallops cook in under a minute and turn rubbery if overdone.
- Stir the soup in a steady circle while drizzling the egg whites so they ribbon out into fine strands.
Variations
- Add a handful of soft tofu cubes for extra protein and silky texture.
- Swap scallops for shrimp, small fish balls, or sliced fish cake for variety.
- Finish with a splash of toasted sesame oil and white pepper at the table for a restaurant-style touch.
Ingredients
Directions
Place mushrooms in bowl and cover with boiling water.
Let stand 30 minutes.
Drain.
Remove and discard stems.
Cut caps into thin slices.
Flake crabmeat.
Rinse scallops with water, drain and cut into thin slices.
Cut bamboo shoots into thing strips.
Chop green onions.
Heat oil in small omelet or crepe pan.
Add eggs and tilt pan so egg completely covers bottom.
Cook over medium-high heat until egg is set.
Loosen edges and turn omelet over to cook other side.
Remove from pan, roll up and cut into thing strips.
Pour broth into 3-quart saucepan.
Cook over high heat until broth boils.
Stir in mushrooms, crabmeat, scallops, bamboo shoots, onions, sliced egg, ginger and pepper.
Return soup to boil.
Combine cornstarch, 4 tablespoons of the water, the wine and soy sauce.
Stir mixture into soup.
Return soup to boil.
Beat egg whites and remaining 2 tablespoons water.
Drizzle egg whites slowly into soup while stirring soup vigorously.
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