She Crab Soup

If you've spent any time in Charleston, I hope you ordered the She Crab Soup. Patty and I love to visit the city, and I always look forward to ordering a bowl. You'll find it on nearly every menu in town, from the white tablecloth restaurants on King Street to the little hidden away places, and every chef makes it a bit differently.

She crab soup is a rich, creamy, sherry laced crab soup that tastes like the Lowcountry in a bowl. Lots of sweet blue crab, a touch of warm spice, and a spoon of dry sherry to finish. It's an elegant bowl, not so heavy as a thick chowder, which may surprise you.

I've enjoyed enough bowls in Charleston to know what's good and what isn't, and I've made it at home enough times to get it right where I want it. This is my take on the classic, my friends, plus simple swaps if you can't find crab roe or ground mace.

What is She Crab Soup?

She-crab soup is a rich, creamy crab soup traditionally made with crab meat, cream, dry sherry and crab roe. The name comes from the female crab, whose orange roe gives the soup its characteristic color, richness, and briny flavor.

You'll find it in the Lowcountry, especially in Charleston, South Carolina, though the Virginia Tidewater region has its own devoted version.

For the modern Charleston version, credit usually goes to to William Deas, chef and butler to Charleston mayor R. Goodwyn Rhett. According to traditional accounts, Deas added crab roe to the soup for a 1909 dinner honoring President William Howard Taft at Rhett's home, now the John Rutledge House Inn. It quickly grew in popularity and has remained so ever since.

She Crab Soup vs Crab Bisque

She-crab soup is often described as a type of crab bisque, and there are many commonalities. Classic shellfish bisques get much of their flavor from the shells and are usually smooth and refined. Charleston she-crab soup is distinguished by sweet crab meat, cream, sherry and, traditionally, crab roe. Many modern versions, including mine, use a light roux for body and thickness.

Ingredients

Full amounts in the recipe card below.

• Butter. The fat for the roux.
• Onion and celery. To develop the base flavor. Shallot is good, too.
• Garlic. Not so traditional, but I love the garlic addition.
• Flour. For the roux. It thickens the soup and gives it the creamy body.
• Seafood stock. If you can't find it, use half clam juice and half chicken stock.
• Whole milk and heavy cream. Half and half works if you want it lighter, though you'll lose some of the richness.
• Mace. The signature spice. More on this below.
• White pepper. Peppery warmth without adding black flecks to the light colored soup.
• Cayenne. Just a bit for background heat.
• Worcestershire sauce and lemon zest. Bright acidity and flavor depth.
• Lump crabmeat. Blue crab is traditional in the Lowcountry, though the recipe works with any crab. Options are Dungeness, snow, king, or rock crab. Pick through it for shell bits no matter which one you choose.
• Crab roe. Traditional, but it's pretty hard to find. Substitutes below.
• Dry sherry. Fino or amontillado. Do not use cooking sherry, which is salted and it tastes like it.
• Old Bay. Optional, and worth considering. See below.

Mace and She Crab Soup

Mace is one of the signature seasonings in many classic Charleston recipes for she-crab soup, and to me, it's the spice that really makes it taste like Charleston. Mace comes from the same fruit as nutmeg. It's the lacy red webbing wrapped around the nutmeg seed, dried and ground. The flavor is similar, but mace is more delicate and slightly peppery where nutmeg is sweeter and more pronounced.

If you can't find mace, or don't want to buy a jar for one recipe, use nutmeg at about half the amount, a scant 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. Grate it fresh if you can, but go easy. Too much and your cream soup may start to taste like eggnog.

If you're on the fence about buying mace, here are a few other ways to use it:

• Cream sauces. Béchamel, mac and cheese, clam chowder, creamed spinach.
• Homemade sausage. It's fantastic in bratwurst and breakfast sausage.
• Pickling brines and deviled eggs. Adds a new dimension.
• Baked goods. Pound cake, doughnuts, pumpkin pie.

Most grocery spice aisles carry ground mace, or you can easily find it online.

About the Crab Roe

Crab roe is hard to fine due to restrictions in harvesting egg bearing female blue crabs. Charleston restaurants have sources, but most people don't.

Here are your swap options, best to worst:

1. Real crab roe. You can find some sources in Charleston, or ask your local seafood source to acquire it for you. It's worth buying if you can. Search for online resources as well. Charleston Seafood is a reputable online resource and offers crab roe at the time of this writing.
2. Hard boiled egg yolk. The best substitute. The color, texture, and richness mimic real crab roe. Use two egg yolks.
3. Other seafood roe. For the briny pop, but not the color. Some are more fishy than others.
4. Skip it. The soup is still excellent without it. Traditionalists may tell you it isn't really she-crab soup without the roe. I get that, but I'd rather you make it without roe than not make it at all.

One more consideration - tomato paste. Stirring in a tablespoon of tomato paste with the seasonings gives you some of the orange color and savory flavor. It won't give you the briny flavor of real crab roe, and it isn't traditional, but it helps if you're using egg yolk or skipping the roe.

How to Make She Crab Soup

Build the base. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery about 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Make the roux. Whisk in the flour and cook it 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Don't let it brown. You want a blond roux here, not a Cajun one.

Add the stock. Whisk it in a splash at a time so it stays smooth. Bring it to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, until it thickens.

Add the dairy and seasonings. Lower the heat. Whisk in the milk and cream, then the mace, white pepper, cayenne, Worcestershire, lemon zest, and Old Bay if you're using it. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, whisking often. Do not let it boil.

Finish with crab. Stir in the roe, half the crab meat, and 2 tablespoons of the sherry. Heat through, about 3 minutes. Salt to taste.

Dress the topping. Toss the remaining crab meat with the remaining 2 tablespoons sherry and a small pinch of salt.

Serve. Ladle into bowls, spoon the sherried crab on top, and finish with chives, a dusting of paprika, and a drizzle of good olive oil. BOOM. That's it.

Should You Use Old Bay in She Crab Soup?

Old Bay is a Chesapeake seasoning rather than a traditional Charleston she-crab soup seasoning, though you'll find it in some Tidewater and modern versions. It is delicious for sure, just a different flavor profile. I focus on the mace, white pepper, and a little cayenne, more like the Lowcountry, but it's definitely worth testing for yourself to see which you prefer.

How Spicy is She Crab Soup?

She crab soup is not meant to be a spicy dish. It's more warming and comforting, just how I like it.

That said, you know me. If you want to add a bit of a kick, you can push it quite a lot, as the dairy tamps the capsaicin.

Consider a full teaspoon of cayenne and 3/4 teaspoon white pepper for more warmth. Add a splash of Louisiana style hot sauce to your bowl, or add chopped Fresno chilies or hotter when you cook down the onion and celery.

You can't go wrong with a drizzle of chili crisp or spicy chili oil over the top along with the olive oil. The color is nice, too.

What to Serve with She Crab Soup

Crusty bread or oyster crackers for sure. We enjoy a glass of the same dry sherry used in the recipe. Beyond that, treat it as a starter ahead of classic shrimp and grits, crab cakes, or a simple green salad. A bowl of it can turn it into a full meal.

Storage and Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often. Never boil it on the reheat or it will break.

I don't recommend freezing this soup. Cream based soups separate in the freezer and the you can't fix the texture.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my recipe for she crab soup. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how you enjoyed yours.

More Southern and Lowcountry Recipes

• Cajun Shrimp
• Chicken Bog
• Swamp Soup
• Jambalaya Soup
• Boiled Peanuts
• Chow Chow Relish

FAQ

What is the best substitute for crab roe?

Use two crumbled hard boiled egg yolks instead for similar color and texture. Or, consider another seafood roe for the briny notes. You can also leave it out entirely and still make a great soup.

Is she crab soup the same as crab bisque?

Not exactly. A true bisque gets its body from puréed shellfish shells. She crab soup uses a roux and cream. Restaurants use both terms for the same dish all the time.

Can I make she crab soup without sherry?

You can, though you'll miss it. Sherry is a defining flavor in this soup. If you skip alcohol, add a squeeze of lemon to get you partway there.

What kind of crab meat is best?

Blue crab is traditional in Charleston, though any crab will work. Lump or jumbo lump gives you the best texture. Dungeness, snow, king, or rock crab all substitute nicely.