Portobello Dungeness Crab Soup

The lovely combination of Mushroom and Crab in a perfect marriage. So much flavor and texture you won't even need heavy cream to finish the soup.

First clean / remove the crab meat from the shells making sure to keep all the shells.
In a medium saucepot, add the chicken stock plus all the crab shells and bring to a boil. Once to a boil turn the heat down to low and allow the crab stock to simmer for 45 minutes. Be careful the heat isn't too high or the crab stock will reduce too much.

Cleaning the Mushrooms
Using a spoon, scoop out the gills from under the mushroom cap. The gills from the mushrooms create a muddy, almost dirty flavor profile.
Please do not skip this step
Once the mushrooms are cleaned, pre-chop the mushrooms into medium-sized pieces.
Everything will end up in a blender or food processor. Knife cuts aren't important.

Start by chopping the shallot.
Add 2 tablespoon of butter to a medium-large skillet and melt then add the shallot and sweat them for 2 minutes. Making 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. The salt helps start the flavor party. You'll still need to add the main salt at the end to taste season and adjust to perfection.
Next, add in half a stick of butter and melt, once melted add in 2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. The flour and butter become a Roux that will thicken the soup. Cook for 2 minutes
Add the cooked mushrooms into a blender or food processor, plus the crab stock. Blend until smooth.
Now taste the soup. Does it need salt? Is it perfect? The chicken stock has a level of salt that may result in you not needing to add any more salt.
You could add some heavy cream to help smoothen out the soup. I did not add any myself as we all agreed it did not need any. Which is very cool for people that are lactose intolerant.

In a small pan, warm up some butter and add the crab meat to warm through before plating.
Chef Tip: Place the bowls into a preheated for ( 3 minutes). 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 a large bit of crab meat. Top with minced Tarrogan.

Fine Dining Cream of Mushroom Soup | Le Cordon Bleu Recipe