Best Butternut Squash And Crab Soup Recipes

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CRAB AND HERB OIL

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook the shallot, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the squash, coriander, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir until coated. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the squash is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a stand blender, in batches, until very smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Season salt and pepper. Reheat the soup before serving if necessary.
• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the parsley and cook, uncovered, until bright green, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water and then drain and pat dry. Puree in a blender with the grapeseed oil until the oil is bright green, about 1 minute. Strain the parsley oil through a fine-mesh sieve. Do not press on the solids. Whisk the harissa and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl until smooth.
• Whisk the oil, lemon juice, ginger, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl. Add the crab, cilantro and mint and gently toss to combine.
• Divide the hot soup evenly among 4 serving bowls and mound some crab salad in the middle of each bowl. Drizzle each bowl with parsley oil and harissa.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Separate the prettiest, lumpiest crab meat out (about two thirds of the crab meat). This will be reserved for the end. Put a large stockpot on the stove, and add about a cup of the sherry. Turn it up to high heat, and leave it there until the liquid has almost entirely reduced. In the meantime, peel the butternut squash and cube the flesh. When the sherry has almost entirely reduced, turn the heat down to medium, and add the stick of butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Add garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, the other cup of sherry, the butternut squash, bay leaves, and the non-lumpy third of the crab meat. Add enough water so that all the butternut squash is covered. Let the mixture boil on medium heat until the butternut squash is soft, about 30 minutes. Stir at least every two minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom. If liquid boils down below squash level at any point, add water. Once the butternut squash is soft, remove the bay leaves and carefully puree the entire mixture in a blender in multiple batches. Rinse out your stock pot so that no chunky bits remain to sully your soup. Then pour the pureed mixture back into the stockpot, and simmer on medium-low. Add the spices to taste. Fold in the remaining crab meat (the larger lumps), and keep simmering for about five minutes. Pour a swirl of cream into each bowl for nice presentation. Serve the soup with the extra cream available for diners.