Depot's Signature Soup Blog
Blue Crab Fans can thank the Early Indigenous Tribes around the Chesapeake Bay for introducing simmering stews outside. Fresh garden favorites and the catch of the day find favor in a large cast iron pot. Sometimes beef, other times fish, the stew combined all harvest favorites. Using their fishing and hunting skills, they even introduced shellfish, especially the blue crab. Europeans learned from this cuisine and settlements around the Chesapeake Bay concocted a stew with corn, lima beans, peas, green beans, crab fat, and the catch of the day. In most cases, this early recipe used blue crab meat and beef. After Old Bay hit the scene in the 1950’s, it became the staple and diners expected primarily blue crab meat.
As the traditions got passed down through the generations, and the blue crab received an ardent following, pick-a-thons popped up. “Leave no morsel untouched” became the rally cry. This meat found itself in some spicy vats of Maryland Crab Soup. In fact, crab houses even started cooking the shells for amazing broth as a worthy base to the soup. These large portions, simmering in huge pots ladled easily into quart sized containers for a quick freezing and thawing for future meals. Yes, Maryland Blue Crab Soup even in the heart of winter! Bay enthusiasts claim this started the “Everything Crab Feast!” Beef does still find itself in recipes, but with the advent of Old Bay and the tradition of the pick-a-thon, the recipe now follows a strict standard, rather than a “hodgepodge” stew.
Annapolis, Maryland joined the fun of the blue crab soups, but added a sophistication from the French, a creamy classic roux made from milk, cream, and a splash of sherry. Their chefs borrowed from European traditions and combined them with the taste of the bay, blue crab lump meat. By the way, most crab fans preferred the robust claw meat for the Maryland Crab Soup, while pristine lump meat paired perfectly with the Cream of Crab. Crab Houses around the bay knew the craze and have now added a bit of creativity. They mix a half tomato-based, and half cream-based soup. Mix and mingle your soup and show off the magnificence of the Chesapeake Bay Cuisine. What a novel idea!
🍲Should you ladle up a healthy bowl of Maryland Crab Soup during the Super Hot Summer months?
When creating your summer crab feast menu, you may struggle imagining your guests enjoying a piping hot Maryland Crab Soup in 80°F weather. Most Americans search out ice cream and slushies but think counterintuitively. A piping hot soup actually cools the body. Foreign countries, known for hot climates routinely serve hot soup during the day and it’s expected. Look at Japan’s Miso Soup, as an example. Simply put, soup soothes the soul and cools the body. All the ingredients load the chef’s counter at their prime time. Hear the facts, and you’ll decide to follow suit with Maryland Crab Soup. Yes, a heat wave calls for a piping hot bowl, even with the peppery pop of bay spices.
One, the thermal aspect of the soup causes the body to naturally warm and then sweat, leaving the body to cool from the sweat’s evaporation. Of course, a light, brothy soup fits the bill rather than a think creamy Cream of Crab, for example. But then again, Blue Crab Fans find all different ways to add the delicacy to their diet. Our crew suggests keeping the soup light. Maryland Vegetable Crab Soup fits the bill, boasting a tomato-base that lends itself to this light feeling. In fact, it serves as a good source of hydration. Dieticians claim electrolytes and fluids from the broth helps keep the body healthy in summer.
Two, what better time to use fresh, ripe ingredients? Maryland Vegetable Crab Soup showcases farm fresh vine-ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, and tender lima beans. All these ingredients pop with flavor and can easily pick from your backyard garden or farmer’s market down the road. The headliner to the soup, Maryland Blue Crabs fill the crab pots with fury during summer. This plentiful supply of salty-sweet, succulent meat stands ready for healthy bowls of soup. Blue Crab Lovers find all different ways to serve up an “Everything Blue Crab” meal. They throw a Summer Blue Crab Feast and serve bushels upon bushels of the delicacy, so they have extras for batches of Maryland Vegetable Crab Soup. Yes, that’s thinking ahead and even a few quarts can pop into the freezer for a later date, a win, win!
Go ahead and serve up a bowl this summer. You can still end the meal with an ice cream or accompany the bowl with a slushy beverage. Do know, however, no matter how you serve blue crabs, they are kings of the summer sunshine!
