Hey everyone!!! I know I didn't post last week but with Thanksgiving we were a little more crazy than usual. I hope you all had an amazing holiday though. We had fun with friends and a few outings over the long weekend. Being back to work on Monday morning is always hard after a few extra days away.
One of our outings was to Disney On Ice. My daughter was SO HAPPY to go and see the princesses, Mickey Mouse, Dory and everyone else who hit the ice. If you have a younger child and have the chance definitely check it out! She was dressed as Aurora and I had a dress with Mrs Potts from Beauty and the Beast. Her best friend attended with us dressed as Elsa.
Most people tend to have Turkey, Ham or both for the holidays. Whenever we have a big ham I use the bone (and whatever meat is still attached) for soup. I usually hear of people making bean soup from the ham hock but my favorite is Maryland Red Crab Soup. I only specify red crab soup because there is also Maryland Cream of Crab Soup and Maryland Half & Half (which is half red & half cream soups mixed together).
Before moving to South Carolina I was born & bred in Baltimore. One of my favorite things was knowing that the diner always had crab soup no matter what other specials were available. It is just a staple food in the region. While I love living in the Carolinas I miss some of my hometown comfort foods a lot. Also, I remember going to my great grandmother's home and her having a giant pot of crab soup going. Instead of ham bone she would go to Lexington Market and buy ox tails for hers. I have another friend that always starts with a box of beef stock. So my way might not be your version of perfect but soup is so easy to adjust to your tastes and preferences. Let me know if you makes yours differently.
Crabs are something most Maryland kids learn to pick and eat at an early age. If you go back through my previous blogs you'll find crab dip as well. It is 100% one of my favorite things.
This, like most other soups, is really a dump it all in the pot and enjoy a bit later type of deal. If you find that crab meat is too pricey for your budget (it happens) you can make it without the crab meat and just have crab seasoned soup. This is also for a huge batch in a large seafood pot. Feel free to adjust for a smaller portion.
1 lb blue crab meat (claw will have a richer taste, lump will be a sweeter taste)
2 large potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/3 cup Old Bay seasoning
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 gallon water
2 - 28oz cans diced tomatoes
32oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (I like ones without lima beans but some people swear by including them in the soup)
Optional additions:
Ham Hock, Beef Bones or other flavorful meat base
Blue Crab pieces (I try to keep some claws in my freezer whenever I find them)
Course Ground Mustard (I like to add a squeeze for some added depth)
Heat your pot and add your ham hock to the bottom. Let it begin to sizzle before adding in other ingredients.
Add in your crab, seasoning, vegetables, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, water and mustard. Mix everything well. If you have any crab pieces add them now.
Cook over medium heat for at least 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. I will often let mine simmer for a long while afterwards but I start stealing the first bowl around that 30 minute mark.
Here's a photo of the pot I use for steaming shrimp, crabs or making a seafood soup. It is pretty big and this fills it. Of course, once I remove the ham bone it will go down some. If you use beef bones or anything similar also be sure to remove those and to shred or leave some of the meat in there. Also, if you serve this to someone and have used whole pieces of blue crab you may want to warn them that they may get a claw or a have something they need to pick so they don't bite down unaware on a hunk of shell.
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HAVE AN AMAZING HOLIDAY SEASON!!!!!