Crab Soup

For many Marylanders, there is no more perfect meal than a pile of steamed crabs or a well-made crab cake (light on filler, please). These straightforward crab preparations are everywhere: on restaurant menus and backyard tables, especially in the summer months. Their simplicity shows off crabmeat's sweet, delicate flavor and tender texture. But Maryland's crabby culinary history runs deeper than newspaper-covered tables and piles of discarded shells. Not long ago, restaurant menus listed numerous crab dishes, and home cooks were familiar with dozens of ways to incorporate crabs into meals, from casseroles to imperials.

For many Marylanders, there is no more perfect meal than a pile of steamed crabs or a well-made crab cake (light on filler, please). These straightforward crab preparations are everywhere: on restaurant menus and backyard tables, especially in the summer months. Their simplicity shows off crabmeat's sweet, delicate flavor and tender texture. But Maryland's crabby culinary history runs deeper than newspaper-covered tables and piles of discarded shells. Not long ago, restaurant menus listed numerous crab dishes, and home cooks were familiar with dozens of ways to incorporate crabs into meals, from casseroles to imperials.

Karen Russell from Bryan, Texas, was looking for a recipe for cream of crab soup similar to the one she had at a restaurant in Chestertown when visiting the area a few years ago. Cream of crab is a popular menu item at restaurants all around the Chesapeake Bay region and is as ubiquitous here as clam chowder is along the coast of New England. Recipes for the soup are plentiful, but the best versions are the simple, straightforward ones that allow the sweet and succulent meat from local blue crabs to shine.

Richard Bell hardly had time to look up during the first hour of ladling rich cream of crab soup into bowl after bowl at a fundraiser to benefit Baltimore residents struggling with homelessness, hunger and poverty. In that time, the general manager of Squire's Restaurant spooned out about half the 30 gallons of soup his restaurant donated to St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore's biggest fundraiser of the year. The nonprofit's event, "Empty Bowls," drew 2,000 guests for lunch and dinner seatings Saturday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Crab soup is like mother's milk to Marylanders, who are likely to begin any seafood feast with a cup of steaming tomatoes and vegetables that are host to chunks of gleaming crab meat. Cream of crab soup, with its thick base of cream and its hint of sherry, certainly has its devotees. But there is something common, and comforting, about the spicy vegetable soup, especially at harvest time. Overripe tomatoes, the last of the Maryland sweet corn, fresh beans and limas and our old friend Old Bay make this soup a winner - literally - at seafood festivals and cooking contests.

Elsie Plummer of Baltimore wrote: "I am looking for a good cream of crab soup recipe and if anyone has one, I'd love to have it." Evelyn Picker of Arbutus responded with tester Laura Reiley's choice. The recipe Picker responded with is from the Relay Elementary School PTA Anniversary cookbook from Debbie Massimini. Recipe requests Alice Richards of Rohnert Park, Calif., wants to recover a recipe she treasured many years ago. "I read your column in the Press Democrat of Rohnert Park. I want a hot-milk spongecake recipe like that printed on the outside of a Swans Down cake-flour box that was discontinued.

One of my goals in life is to figure out which color crab soup to sip in which situation. This can be a big, emotional deal. There are folks in Maryland who contend that red crab soup, made with beef and vegetables, is the only true hue.Other Marylanders support solely white, the crab soup that relies on cream. Both groups of soup sippers have strong feelings.Like a true coward, I embrace both sides and gleefully spoon down both colors of soup.But the other day as I polished off a bowl of white, I tried to come up with a calm, middle ground on the crab soup situation.

The makers of Gordon's Chesapeake Classics foods knew they had a good Maryland Red Crab Soup, but it wasn't until last week that they knew it was out of this world. That was when the owners of the Pocomoke City food processor found out that their soup was among the provisions carried by the astronauts on the space shuttle Atlantis as it rocketed to the international space station. National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials say astronaut Tom Jones, one of three Baltimore natives on the mission, brought the soup to the Johnson Space Center in Houston and asked that it be freeze-dried and included in the food rations.

Pat Bourne's request for a cream of crab soup was met with more than a dozen recipes sent in by readers. Two stood out, say our food testers at the Baltimore International Culinary College.;/ Ann Hoskins of Dundalk sent in this recipe:Maryland cream of crab soupServes six.1 pound Maryland crab meat1 vegetable bouillon cube1 cup boiling water1/4 cup chopped onion1/4 cup butter or margarine2 tablespoons flour1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon celery salt1/8 teaspoon pepperfew drops of hot sauce1 quart milkparsely flakes, for garnishRemove cartilage from crab meat.

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. They contend the spoilage is usually caused by improper cooling of the cooked soup when it is stored in a refrigerator.A few cooks say they don't know if there is any scientific basis to their behavior, but they don't make soup during a thunderstorm because their Mama and Papa told them not to.That is what I found out when I called cooks and scientists around Maryland and attempted to find out if there was any fact behind this nugget of Maryland folk wisdom.

Remember how everyone threw on all their purple and hauled their spirited selves down to the Harbor Monday to see the Ravens off? Well, the "Today Show" folks are hoping at least some of them will be back there Friday as they film live to show off Baltimore's Super Bowl pride. Natalie Morales will be representing the 'Today' crew at the Inner Harbor amphitheater from 7 to 10 a.m. while Al Roker does the same thing from San Francisco. They'll want to see screaming, passionate fans of purple.

Sunday, May 20 Science talk Author Andrea Wulf discusses her new book, "Chasing Venus," at noon at Adkins Arboretum's Visitor's Center, 12610 Eveland Road in Ridgely. Admission is $20, $15 for members. Information: 410-634-2847 or adkinsarboretum.org. Lecture Historic Annapolis' St. Clair Wright Lecture Series will feature an illustrated talk by Andrea Wulf, author of "Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature and the Shaping of the American Nation," at 6 p.m. at St. Anne's Church on Church Circle.

Karen Russell from Bryan, Texas, was looking for a recipe for cream of crab soup similar to the one she had at a restaurant in Chestertown when visiting the area a few years ago. Cream of crab is a popular menu item at restaurants all around the Chesapeake Bay region and is as ubiquitous here as clam chowder is along the coast of New England. Recipes for the soup are plentiful, but the best versions are the simple, straightforward ones that allow the sweet and succulent meat from local blue crabs to shine.

Good old Rusty Scupper. The Inner Harbor restaurant with the sweeping views opened way back in 1982. It has grown. Two major renovations have added private rooms and a 1,200-bottle wine cellar. In commemoration of its 30th anniversary, the Rusty Scupper is offering a fixed-price, two-course lunch for $19.82. The special, which runs until the end of April, features items from the restaurant's original menu. Appetizer choices include a cup of cream of crab soup, a cup of Maryland crab soup, Scupper house salad and a traditional Caesar salad.

Share your good news and events with the community. Contact Laurel Leader editorial assistant Pat Farmer, paf1@patuxent.com , or phone and fax 410-332-6653. Central Maryland Chorale — First rehearsal of season, Mon., Aug. 22, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Laurel Presbyterian Church, 7610 Old Sandy Spring Road and every Monday thereafter. Need enthusiastic, dedicated singers who can follow music from score; no audition required. Artistic director Monica Otal, assistant director and accompanist Theodore Guerrant.

Share your good news and events with the community. Contact Laurel Leader editorial assistant Pat Farmer, paf1@patuxent.com , or phone and fax 410-332-6653. Crab feast - Hosted by American Legion Post 60, Sat., Aug. 6, 6-11 p.m., 2 Main St. All you can eat crabs, crab soup, corn on the cob, meatballs, chicken wings, coleslaw, dessert, 6-8 p.m. Music by DJ Miles and dancing, 8-11 p.m. Tickets $35 must be purchased in advance; all draft beer and soda included in price, 6-11 p.m. Adults only (must be 21 years old)

THE WORLD of crab soup is divided into two camps, red and white. Those in the red camp believe crab soup should have a tomato base, contain more vegetables than your average backyard garden and have a judicious amount of spice, a prodigious amount of crab meat and occasionally some shell.I have heard this crab soup called by several names, among them "traditional Maryland vegetable," "the working man's crab soup," "home-style crab soup" and "the real stuff."Those in the white-soup camp advocate a crab soup made with fresh stock, more cream than your average cow and gorgeous lumps of crab meat.

I didn't realize how many people love cream of crab soup until my Top 10 on the subject last Tuesday. Please go to my blog at baltimoresun.com/diningatlarge to get many more suggestions of readers' favorite places to get this delicacy. Here's my list in alphabetical order: 1 Carrol's Creek in Annapolis. Rich and lump-filled but not too thick 2 Catonsville Gourmet in Catonsville. Cream of crab and corn chowder 3 Gertrude's in the BMA. With lump crab and "scented with sherry" 4 Grille 700 in the Marriott Waterfront.

A reader responded to our recent roundup of classic Maryland crab houses: "Take a trip to Glen Burnie and find Seaside on Crain Highway. Best crabs in town. … You need to move around to the other side of town. " In a follow-up conversation, the reader said, "Seaside is not a fancy place, but they are always crowded because so many people know how fantastic their steamed crabs are. They also have a full menu, and everything else we have tried has been delicious: crab soup, salads, onion rings and other crab dishes.

Marylanders love their crabs — especially when the meat is picked and mixed with cream, cheese, mayo and Old Bay. And while crabs are generally not an unhealthy choice right out of the shell, one serving of a crab dish can pack a third or more of the total recommended daily intake of fat, sodium and calories once the meat is drowned in fatty oils and salt. Area waters in which they are harvested can also mean pollutants. As with any treat, nutritionists say, moderation is key. And when consumers do indulge, an obvious choice is the broiled crab cake that isn't doused in tartar sauce or other goopy toppings.