| Type | Soup |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | South Carolina |
| Main ingredients | Atlantic blue crab meat, crabroe,crab orfish stock,milk orheavy cream, drysherry |
She-crab soup is a richsoup, similar tobisque, made ofmilk orheavy cream,crab orfish stock,Atlantic blue crab meat, and (traditionally) crabroe, and a small amount of drysherry added as it is plated. It may be thickened either by heat reduction or with apurée of boiledrice; it may also include such seasonings asmace andshallots oronions. The soup is a regional specialty from theSouth Carolina Lowcountry. It is commonly featured on the menus of manyCharleston, South Carolina, andSavannah, Georgiarestaurants.[1][2][3]
The soup is named for the "she-crab", or female crab, originally agravid (roe-carrying) crab, as the orange crab roe comprise a chief ingredient in traditional she-crab soup. As withturtle soup, other ingredients may be added to the soup or substituted for others, although crab meat is found in all versions.
Regulations in Maryland and other states restrict the collection of egg-bearing female crabs.[4]