Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes, including 1 hour inactive cooking time
Servings: About 6 servings, 1 cup each
Stock:
shells from 2 pounds of Alaskan King crab legs
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
Soup:
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 cups crab stock
1/2 cup organic 2 percent evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Crab meat, for garnish (optional, if you happen to have leftovers)
Make the stock:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the crab shells on a baking sheet and roast them in the hot oven until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the carrot, celery onion and tarragon until vegetables begin to soften, about five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, and garlic, stir and cook until fragrant and tomato paste deepens in color, about two more minutes. Pour the wine and lemon juice into the pan and let it bubble for a minute or two. Add the crab shells, 8 cups of water and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and let simmer on low for about 1 hour.
Strain out the solids using a fine meshed sieve, and set the stock aside. You should have about six cups. (If not, add enough water, clam juice, or chicken stock to make it six cups.)
Make the soup:
In a soup pot, melt the butter and add the flour, whisking into a thick paste. Allow to cook and bubble for one minute. Add the sherry and whisk as it bubbles and thickens. Slowly add the crab stock, whisking to incorporate the stock into the thickened roux (flour mixture). Bring the soup to a boil and simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until it thickens a little. Stir in the evaporated milk, garnish with crab meat (optional) and serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 173 calories; 61 calories from fat; 7 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 16 mg cholesterol; 543 mg sodium; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 7 g protein.
Melissa d’Arabian, Associated Press
