Authentic Maryland Crab Soup

If you’ve ever sat at a crab shack on the Chesapeake Bay and spooned up a bowl of that tomatoey, veggie-packed, crab-studded soup they’re famous for, this is the recipe you’ve been hunting for.

Maryland crab soup is the other great crab dish from the region. Crab cakes get all the glory, but this soup is what folks around the Bay actually eat on a Tuesday night.

It’s a tomato-broth base loaded with potatoes, carrots, corn, celery, and green pepper, all simmered in fish stock until everything is tender. Then a full pound of crab meat goes in at the very end, just long enough to warm through without turning tough.

Fresh parsley and black pepper finish it off. Simple. Honest. The crab is the star and everything else just supports it.

Pro Tips

• Add the crab meat last and only simmer for 5 minutes. Overcooking crab turns it rubbery and you’ll lose that sweet, delicate flavor.
• Use the best crab meat you can afford. Lump or backfin makes a real difference here since there’s nowhere for mediocre crab to hide in this soup.
• A good fish stock is the backbone of this recipe. If you can’t make your own, look for a quality bottled clam juice and dilute it slightly.
• Old Bay seasoning is the traditional Maryland move if you want to take this in an even more authentic direction. A teaspoon stirred in with the vegetables does the trick.