Take a trip down the Southern coastline and you'll discover a smorgasbord of regional delicacies. From crab cakes to catfish, the low country states are brimming with delicious seafood recipes. In Charleston, South Carolina, you'll find a quintessential Southen town that's rich in culture, history, and the home to one of the most iconic Southen specialties— She Crab Soup, a dish that's as luxurious and decadent as the city for which it's named. However, if you can't make it to the coast, it's easy to replicate the sophisticated tastes of Charleston by making She-Crab Soup in the comfort of your own home.
Lauren Paige Richeson
What Is She-Crab Soup?
She-crab soup is a classic creamy seafood soup from the Low Country region of South Carolina traditionally made from local female blue crabmeat and crab roe. Similar to crab bisque, the base of this soup includes diced vegetables, heavy cream, tomato paste, and dry sherry. However, it's the addition of crab roe, which adds an earthy-briny flavor and vibrant color to the dish and makes She-Crab soup so unique.
History of She-Crab Soup
Lauren Paige Richeson
According to culinary historian John Martin Taylor, the author of Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking, the Scottish settlers introduced their chowder-like seafood soup recipes like partan-bree to the Carolinas when they arrived in the early 1700s.
The origins of Charleston's signature she-crab recipe can be traced back to a special dinner served at the home of Mayor Rhett for President William Howard Taft in the early 1900s. When asked to make a prepare a presidential dish for the evening, the Mayor's cook William Deas headed towards the sea. He returned with freshly harvested female crabs which he added whole into a stock of vegetables and cream. By using the whole crab, the roe was mixed in and gave the soup a distinct coral color and an umami flavor, unlike any dish the region had ever seen— thus inventing the Charleston delicacy known as She-Crab Soup.
Things To Know About She-Crabs and Crab Roe
Lauren Paige Richeson
Although the crab meat and roe itself create the signature flavor of the dish, these essential ingredients may be difficult to come by. In recent years, to help preserve the dwindling supply of crabs fishing regulations have been put into place making it illegal to harvest mature female crabs who carry eggs outside their shells. Some states have banned the harvest of any female crabs, although immature female crabs (that carry eggs inside the shell) may be imported from states where they have been legally caught.
How to Make She-Crab Soup Without Roe
There are plenty of ways to enhance the crab flavor if you don't have access to roe. The next best option is using sea urchin roe —also called uni or fish roe, both of which are more readily available than crab. You can also try using a crab, fish, lobster stock, or clam juice which will provide the soup with so much seafood flavor that you'd never know it was missing the roe.
What Crab Meat to Use in She-Crab Soup
The traditional she-crab soup calls for lump crab meat but you can use whole crabs or claw meat instead. Try to avoid canned crab meat, if you can't find it fresh then frozen will work in a pinch as well.
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Charleston She-Crab Soup Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups onion finely chopped
- 2 cups celery finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup fish stock
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 quart heavy cream
- 1 lb. crabmeat
- 1/2 cup crab roe
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- Garnishes: paprika and fresh chives
Instructions
In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Slowly stir in the flour to make a roux, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in the onion, celery, garlic, salt, and white pepper. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes.
Add the sherry, Worcestershire, broth, tomato paste, and hot sauce, and then gradually whisk in the cream so that no lumps form.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook for about 30 minutes, until soup has reduced by 1/3.
Stir in 3/4 of the crab meat and all of the roe and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Ladle soup into bowls, and top off with the remaining crab meat and a sprinkle of fresh chives and paprika.
Serve with crusty french bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 547kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 10gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 28gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 237mgSodium: 625mgPotassium: 385mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2150IUVitamin C: 8.3mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 2.2mg
FAQs
She-crab soup was born in the early 1900s at a dinner with President William Howard Taft at Charleston mayor R. Goodwyn Rhett's home in downtown Charleston.
Why is she-crab soup called she? ›
It is commonly featured on the menus of many Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia restaurants. The soup is named for the "she-crab", or female crab, originally a gravid (roe-carrying) crab, as the orange crab roe comprise a chief ingredient in traditional she-crab soup.
Who invented crab soup? ›
Deas, the butler at the historic John Rutledge Inn, invented our iconic soup to welcome President William Howard Taft. As a tour guide, I used to recount the tale of how Deas, the butler for former Charleston Mayor Goodwyn Rhett, improvised the soup at the 11th hour with the addition of crab roe.
What is the difference between he and she-crab soup? ›
If you haven't figured it out yet, She-Crab Soup is made with female crabs. He-Crab Soup is made with male crabs. That wasn't difficult, but what's the difference? The female crab has roe (eggs) and the male crab doesn't.
What kind of crab is from Charleston? ›
Despite its fearsome appearance and aggressive nature, the blue crab is greatly cherished in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Gourmets prefer the blue crab's sweet meat over all other locally caught seafood.
Is she-crab soup legal? ›
A person wanting to prepare she-crab soup according to the recipe cannot buy such crabs, and catching them even recreationally is unlawful. In the seminal Carolina Low-Country cookbook 'Charleston Receipts,' the authors suggest substituting the yolk of a hard-boiled chicken egg for the crab roe.
Does she-crab soup have crab eggs? ›
Deas' creation later became known as she-crab soup. The traditional recipe calls for crab meat, heavy cream, sherry, and crab roe. However, female blue crabs are protected by law in South Carolina, so the roe is often omitted today. The dish became a Lowcountry favorite and took the South by storm.
What is the difference between a crab and a she crab? ›
Males can be distinguished from females by the apron on its abdomen. Male blue crabs have a “T” shaped apron while mature females have a dark “U” shaped apron and immature females have a slight “V” shaped apron. Female blue crabs carry eggs in masses under their abdomen.
What to eat with she-crab soup? ›
What To Serve With She-Crab Soup. This hearty soup is incredibly rich and luxurious. Serve with crusty bread, cornbread, or biscuits, and a light side salad for a satisfying and guest-worthy meal.
Why can't you make crab soup in the rain? ›
Folklore says if you make crab soup during a thunderstorm the soup will spoil. Believers say it has happened to them. They blame anything from a drop in atmospheric pressure to the electrical charge in the storm air for turning their soup. Skeptics say thunderstorms have nothing to do with spoiled soup.
Crab is packed with protein, which is important for building and maintaining muscle. Crab also contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and selenium. These nutrients play vital roles in improving general health while helping prevent a variety of chronic conditions.
Who ate the first crab? ›
In a Portuguese cave beside the Atlantic Ocean, Neanderthals may have made brown crabs a menu mainstay. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that the early humans were cooking and eating crab meat 90,000 years ago, according to a study published Tuesday in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.
Why is she-crab soup orange? ›
**Crab roe are the eggs harvested from the female blue crab. The addition of crab roe tints the soup orange and enriches its crabby flavor. Two crumbled, hard-cooked egg yolks may be substituted for the crab roe. In a large, heavy pot over low heat, melt butter, then add flour and blend until smooth.
What is a female crab called? ›
Mature females (Sooks) have a rounded apron as in the second picture below. You may also see crabs with triangle-shaped aprons. These are immature females and are called “v-bottoms”. Male blue crab's apron.
What wine goes with she-crab soup? ›
She Crab Soup, which can be made with any lump crab meat, is a thick, creamy, comforting soup that you'll fall in love with, especially when paired with our toasty Chardonnay. If you've visited the South, you may have tasted it, with a bit of sherry drizzled on top.
What happened to the owner of Charley's crab? ›
The Charley's Crab Palm Beach restaurant drew attention in 1993 when Chuck Muer, the original owner, was discovered missing at sea with his wife, Betty, and friends George and Lynn Drummey in a 40-foot sailboat. Despite a 16-day search, they were never seen again.
Where did George Washington eat in Charleston? ›
On May 4, 1791, the Charleston branch of the Society of the Cincinnati hosted a banquet for President George Washington in McCrady's Long Room.
What kind of seafood is Charleston known for? ›
No trip to Charleston is complete without some fresh from the dock seafood. From Lowcountry shrimp and grits, to fresh oysters and she-crab soup, Charleston is the place to go for delicious seafood and southern hospitality.
Who owns Charleston crab House? ›
John Keener - owner - Charleston Crab House | LinkedIn.
