Maryland Crab Soup

Maryland crab soup is a tomato-based vegetable soup made with crab meat, especially blue crab, which is strongly associated with Maryland.

Typical ingredients include:

Crab meat

Tomatoes or tomato broth

Corn

Green beans

Lima beans

Carrots

Potatoes

Peas

Onions

Seasonings like Old Bay, parsley, and black pepper

It’s different from cream of crab soup, which is rich and creamy. Maryland crab soup is usually lighter, brothy, and packed with vegetables.

In short: it’s a hearty, savory, tomato-based crab-and-vegetable soup that’s a classic Maryland dish.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings servings

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 small yellow onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 medium carrots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cups seafood stock chicken stock, or water
14.5 ounces diced tomatoes canned with juices
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium potato peeled and diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 cup frozen lima beans
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional hot sauce, optional
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces lump crab meat picked over for shells
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

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Instructions

Sauté the vegetables

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, and carrots.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

Build the soup

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add the stock, diced tomatoes with their juices, potato, corn, green beans, lima beans, peas, Old Bay, thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce if using, salt, and pepper.

Simmer

Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
Cover partially and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Add the crab

Gently stir in the crab meat.
Simmer very gently for 3 to 5 minutes, just until heated through. Do not boil hard or the crab can break up too much.

Finish and serve

Remove the bay leaf.
Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Taste and add more Old Bay, salt, or pepper if needed.

Serve

Ladle into bowls and serve with:
Oyster crackers
Saltines
Crusty bread

If you want a more traditional Maryland flavor, use blue crab meat if you can find it.
For a thinner soup, add 1/2 to 1 cup more stock.
For a spicier version, add extra hot sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes.