King Crab Soup With Saffron Recipes

CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for about 1 minute, until well blended.
• Whisking constantly, gradually add the half & half. Add the mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, whisking frequently (be sure to scrape the edges of the pot, where the flour mixture tends to settle). As soon as the soup starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sherry and crabmeat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup is too thick, add water, little by little, to thin it out (it will thicken the longer it sits on the stove, even off of the heat). Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
• Note: Old Bay seasoning is sold in the seafood department at most supermarkets. It can also be ordered online or made from scratch.
• Note: Lemon is really only necessary if not using the sherry.

KING CRAB SOUP WITH SAFFRON

Steps:

• In a soup pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until just soft. Add the wine and simmer until all liquid except about 1/2 cup has evaporated. Remove from the heat, strain and discard the shallots. Return the reduced wine to the pot and add the stock. Bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and leeks, season with salt and sauté until just tender. Set aside.
• Stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of water and stir it and the saffron into the boiling soup. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the carrots and leeks and the half-and-half or cream. Cook until very hot. (If using half-and-half, do not let it boil.) Add the crab meat, season with salt and pepper and serve.

CIOPPINO-STYLE ROASTED CRAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in large deep ovenproof skillet or large metal roasting pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil 2 minutes. Add clam juice, tomatoes with juice, 1 cup water, bay leaves, parsley, and crushed red pepper and bring to boil. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 minutes. Add crab pieces; nestle into sauce. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until crab pieces are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Place crab with juices in large bowl.

TOMATO, FENNEL, AND CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, fennel slices, and garlic; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until onions and fennel are tender, stirring often and adjusting heat to medium if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and 2 cups broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until flavors blend and vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in crabmeat and add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup, if desired; simmer just until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.
• Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle each with chopped fennel fronds. Drizzle each serving with oil. Serve with toasts.

VENETIAN CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook onion, celery, and fennel, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn pink. Stir in tomatoes with their juice. Simmer, breaking up tomatoes slightly with a wooden spoon, 3 minutes, then add ginger, saffron, curry powder, and bay leaf and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and boil uncovered 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45 minutes.
• Discard bay leaf, then purée soup (including shrimp shells) in batches in a blender until finely ground, about 2 minutes per batch (use caution when blending hot liquids). Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding solids.
• Peel and dice potato. Peel and dice enough celery root to measure 1/2 cup. Add potato and celery root to soup and gently simmer uncovered until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and crabmeat. Season with salt and pepper.