Crab Soup Recipe Perfect for a Crowd

This hearty crab soup will soon become your family’s favorite. It’s spiced with Old Bay Seasoning, a must-have in every Rehoboth Beach, Delaware kitchen.

Spicy Crab Soup with shrimp and clams is a crowd pleaser and beyond delicious! It is a staple here in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where we are famous for our Blue Crabs. A perfect soup for a spring evening or hot summer night and great for a crowd. The best part is you can double or triple the recipe and freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months. Your friends and family will thank you for inviting them over or dropping off a special container just for them to enjoy!

One of our favorite pastimes in Delaware is picking Blue Crabs, but honestly, I either buy the Crabmeat fresh from a local seafood store or my favorite place – Costco. This recipe has been passed around from friend to friend and family to family throughout the state. The first time I had this Spicy Crab Soup, it was made by my friend Sandee McClain at a neighborhood pool party up in North Wilmington, Delaware, and boy, was it spicy. We generally grab a few loaves of crusty french bread from Old World Bread – the best baker at the beach and have a beautiful meal.

Rich in Vitamin C & Vitamin SEA

Tomatoes are loaded with Vitamin C and are an excellent antioxidant. Add shellfish to the mix, and you are covering Vitamin A, B, and D, as well as omega-3’s, so you can not go wrong. You can make the recipe gluten-free by leaving out the Pearl Barley, but it does make a nice addition to the soup, but by all means, modify the recipe to your diet. This crab soup recipe is a heart-healthy choice if you may need to substitute the butter for a mixture of olive oil and earth balance buttery spread.

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

This recipe triples well for a crowd. Adjust spices to your taste and add extra seafood. Some people will want more Crabmeat, but again that can be expensive, so I like to add clams to stretch it a bit without breaking the bank. If you are a crab soup purist, just use the clam juice, not the clam pieces.

Another money-saving idea is to search for big cans of Clam Broth. I’ll sometimes use canned clams, including juice, instead of the small jars of straight clam juice as it can be pricey. I’m always looking for ways to make this recipe a little less expensive.

For a triple batch use, 2 large 6lb cans of Cento Peeled Tomatoes. You’ll need to run the tomatoes through a food processor to liquefy. Hold a few tomatoes aside and rough chop them for a little extra texture in the soup. Omit the diced tomatoes and tomato juice if you go with the large cans. You can always add water to thin out the soup. Bon Appetité!

HOW TO MAKE SPICY CRAB SOUP:

Gather your ingredients and get cooking! It’s the perfect time of the year to make this soup!

Crab Soup

Chris Kelly Glavin

A delicious crab soup with just enough spice to make it a special treat!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr 45 mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Seafood

Servings 6

Calories 277 kcal

Equipment

• Stock Pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 tbs Butter
• ½ cup Chopped Onion
• ½ cup Chopped Celery
• 4 8 oz bottles Clam Juice - 32 oz total or 3 cans of canned Clams with juice
• 14 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes or Peeled Tomatoes
• 1 ½ cup Tomato Juice
• 2 tbs Dry Sherry or White Wine optional
• 1 Bay Leaf
• ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
• ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbs Oregano
• 1 tbs Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
• ½ tsp Tabasco
• ¼ cup Pearl Barley dried
• 1 lb Deveined Medium Shrimp
• ½ lb Crabmeat

Instructions

 

• Place butter In a large pot and melt on medium-low heat, add chopped onion and celery, saute until tender approximately 5-7 minutes on medium heat until soft.
• Add the following: clam juice, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and wine if you are using it. Bring to a boil.
• Add the spices: bay leaf, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregano, Old Bay Seasoning, Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco, and pearl barley. Simmer approximately 1/2 hour or until the pearl barley is tender on medium-low heat.
• Add in deveined medium shrimp and crabmeat. Cook until the shrimp is pink.
• Garnish with fresh basil before serving and a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning.

Notes

This recipe triples well for a crowd. Adjust spices to your taste and add extra seafood. Some people will want more Crabmeat, but again that can be expensive so I like to add clams to stretch it a bit without breaking the bank. If you are a crab soup purist use clam juice only without clam pieces.

Another money-saving idea is to search for big cans of Clam Broth. I'll sometimes use canned clams including juice instead of the small jars of straight clam juice as it can be pricey. I'm always looking for ways to make this recipe a little less expensive.

To save time and money making a triple batch use, 2 large 6 lb cans of Cento Peeled Tomatoes. Run the tomatoes through a food processor to liquefy. Hold a few tomatoes aside and rough chop them for a little extra texture in the soup. Omit the diced tomatoes and tomato juice if you use the large cans of peeled tomatoes. You can always add water to thin out the soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cupsCalories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 25gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 236mgSodium: 1152mgPotassium: 516mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 821IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Crab Soup, Crab Soup Recipe

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Let us know if you made adaptations to the recipe. I’m always looking for money-saving tips or CLEVER IDEAS on how to serve this soup. As always, at MamaLama, we love to hear how you shared your meal with your family and friends! Do you have a recipe to share? Drop us an idea. 

All the best!

Chris – The Happy Mama Lama