Dungeness Crab(Remove the crab meat, use only the shells)2clusters
Fresh Thyme3sprigs
Onion½large
Butter3Tablespoon
The Mushrooms
Cremini Mushrooms25
Portobello Mushrooms6
Soup Ingredients
Mushrooms(Chopped)31cleaned
Shallot(Chopped)1medium
All-Purpose Flour(/ Roux)2tablespoon
Butter(/ Roux)½stick
Fresh Thyme2teaspoons
Sea Salt½teaspoon
Black Pepper¼teaspoon
Heavy Cream(Optional)½cup
Instructions
Making The Crab Stock
First clean / remove the crab meat from the shells making sure to keep all the shells. In a medium saucepot, add 3 Tablespoons of butter along with the crab shells. Saute the crab shell with the butter over medium heat. 3 minutes. Next, add the chicken stock and sprigs of fresh thyme and bring it to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. You can add a pinch of salt.
The Mushrooms
Clean the mushrooms. Using a spoon, scoop out the gills out from under the mushroom caps. The gills in large quantity create a muddy, almost dirty flavor profile. Do not skip this step.Once the mushrooms are cleaned, chop them into medium-sized pieces. Everything will end up in a blender or food processor, so knife cuts aren't meaningful.
Making the Soup
Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to a medium-large skillet and melt, then add the shallot and sweat them for 1 minute. Make sure to keep stirring to help with even cooking.Next, add in all of the mushrooms and cook them for 6 to 7 minutes. You will notice the mushrooms will give off their water and reduce in size. Once the mushrooms have reduced in size and given off their water, add in the thyme & a pinch of salt.Next, add in half a stick of butter and melt; once melted, add in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, creating a roux. Cook for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.Add the crab stock to the mushrooms and roux—Cook for 2 minutes. Tastes, season, and adjust at this point. Add in the salt and pepper.Blend the soup base in a food processor. Add heavy cream or half-and-half milk to smoothen out the soup to the consistency you enjoy. If the soup looks too thin, you can place it on the stovetop on medium heat. The soup will tighten up as it cooks.
Plating The Soup
Warm up some butter in a small pan and add the crab meat to warm through before plating.Tip: Place the bowls into a preheated oven for ( 3 minutes) or zap in the microwave for 1 minute+. This will help the soup stay warm once served. Line up your serving bowls. Using a Ladle, add the warm soup to each bowl, then in the middle of each bowl nest large pieces of crab meat.
Video
Fine Dining Cream of Mushroom Soup | Le Cordon Bleu Recipe
Notes
Need help with cleaning the crab meat from the shells. We have an article covering cleaning snow crab fine dining style.The technique works with Dungeness crab as wellHow To Clean Snow Crab Fine Dining Style
Keyword Crab Stock, Mushroom Soup with Dungeness Crab