Crab Soup

Ingredients

• 18 young fat crabs (raw)
• 12 fine, ripe tomatoes 
• Boiling water
• 1 large onion 
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. lard 
• Grated bread or crackers 
• Salt
• Pepper (black or cayenne)
• Parsley 
• Sweet marjoram 
• Thyme 
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• Peel of 1 lemon

Directions 

1. Open and cleanse young fat crabs
2. Cut crab into 4 parts 
3. Extract meat from crabs and fat from top of shells 
4. Scald and skin tomatoes
5. Squeeze pulp from seeds and juice of tomato
6. Chop tomatoes finely 
7. Pour boiling water over seeds and juice 
8. After straining, use remainder of tomato to make soup (add more water if needed)
9. Stew onion, garlic, butter and lard in soup pot 
10. Add in tomatoes
11. Stew a few minutes
12. Add meat from claws, crabs, and fat from top shells
13. Sift bread or crackers over soup
14. Season with salt, pepper, parsley, sweet marjoram, thyme, lemon juice, and lemon peel
15. Pour in water in which seeds were scalded
16. Boil moderately 1 hour 

Source — Creole Cookery Book.

Prepared by Courtney Baffuto

Louisiana Anthology

June 9, 2019