We went to Annapolis for the weekend, for a nice little weekend getaway. It was so nice to leave and not have to worry about anything…until I got an ear infection with a nice temperature. Both of which guaranteed I was grumpy for probably half of the weekend. Oh well, they improved as the weekend went on, and the antibiotics started kicking in.

If you’ve ever been to Annapolis, you probably remember that it’s a town absolutely crazy for their crab and Old Bay Seasoning…not that I blame them at all for either of those obsessions.

We pretty much ate our way through Annapolis this weekend, with a number of our meals focusing on crab or Old Bay, no complaints. Saturday, we had Naval Bagels for breakfast with Old Bay cream cheese…delicious. Dinner Saturday…sushi with…you guessed it, crab. Sunday brunch…a cup of cream of crab soup and a crab souffle, which was essentially a warm, crab-filled pillow that made me want to do nothing more than take a nap.

The three of us, Matt, my mom, and I, devoured the soup. Once we were done, Matt and I telepathically decided we both needed cream of crab soup for dinner. The cream of crab soup I made was unbelievably easy, and surprisingly healthy. I used no cream (only skim milk and fat free half&half)

Lighter Cream of Crab Soup

(Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a meal)

Ingredients

4 TBS butter

4 TBS flour

1 onion (finely grated)

1 TBS minced garlic

1 TBS Old Bay

juice of 1 lemon

3 cups skim milk

2 cups fat free half and half

1 TBS xanthan gum

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

10-12 oz crab meat (I used backfin)

1/4 cup of sherry

more Old Bay to taste

Directions

• Finely grate onion. I first chopped mine and then placed it in the food processor.

• In a large pot, melt the butter, be careful not to burn or brown. Once it is melted, add the flour to create a roux. Make sure to whisk well and break up the lumps of flour! Add the onion and the garlic. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

• Next, add the Old Bay and lemon juice.
• Add the milk and half and half, whisking well. Make sure all of the flour, onion and garlic is broken up well.
• Bring to a quick boil and turn back down.
• Slowly add the tablespoon of xanthan gum, making sure that it is evenly dispersed and completely dissolved. It will thicken the milk and half and half.

• Add the Worcestershire sauce and the crab. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. do not bring to a boil.
• Once the soup is poured into the bowls, pour desired amount of sherry into the bowl, and add more Old Bay if desired!

Note: Corn starch can be substituted for xanthan gum.

Told you it was an easy crab soup recipe!