Summertime in Maryland means picking crabs and making Maryland Crab soup. Maryland crab soup is a vegetable-based crab soup recipe instead of a cream-based crab soup. This is my family's recipe for the best Maryland crab soup.

Another Maryland classic is the Lemon Peppermint Stick. The perfect combination for a sweet summertime treat. If you love this soup you are going to want to try the rest of the soup recipes I have here on the site.
Maryland Crab Soup Ingredients:
- Chicken Stock
- Beef Stock
- Old Bay
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Bay Leaves
- Sugar
- Maryland blue crabs, steamed, cooled and picked (or 1 pound crab meat)
- petite diced tomatoes
- carrots, diced
- celery, diced
- peas, frozen is fine
- corn (1 15 oz can) or frozen corn. Be sure to read how I put up freezer corn.
- Potatoes, diced
- Onion, Diced
Optional crab soup ingredients:
- green bean pieces
- cabbage, shredded
- lima beans
** My family is not a fan of these items so I omit them. Feel free to add them to your soup. Just be sure to add an additional 2 cups of stock to the soup.
Old Bay Seasoning is a MUST
Not only did I grow up in Maryland, but I remember driving by the McCormick plant outside of Baltimore and we would try and guess what spice they were packaging that day. The air would be thick with the fragrance of what they were roasting, drying or blending that day. I remember pepper days made my nose perk up a bit.
If anyone tells you to use a seafood spice other than Old Bay, they are wrong. Just wrong. But take that with a grain of salt as that advice comes from a Maryland girl who grew up outside Baltimore!
How to pick crab meat:
- Flip the crab on its shell and remove all the legs by twisting and pulling the legs off. The little legs will not have a lot of meat in them.
- Remove the claws with the same twist and pulling motion.
- Pull the 'tab' of the crab back, it is going to look like a pencil, and this will reveal a small opening for a butter knife.
- Insert the butter knife into the shell of the crab and using the knife for to keep the shell on the table, pull the body of the crab away from the shell.
- Scrape the 'yellow mustard' out of the crab. The yellow paste in the crab is part of the digestion system of the crab.
- Remove the gills or lungs of the crab. They are the small triangle, sponge looking par of the crab.
- Crack the crab body in half and separate into two portions.
- Fold and bend each section of the crab body that was attached to a leg and remove it.
- Peel back the shell with a small knife and remove the crab meat.
- Do your best to keep the crab meat in one piece as you remove it from each section.
- The crab meat is white and soft. Be aware of the cartilage, it is hard and inedible.
How to make Maryland Crab Soup:
- Bring the beef and chicken stock to a boil in a large stockpot.
- Add the Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and sugar.
- Add the tomatoes, carrots, celery, corn, peas, and onion, bring to a low simmer, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and cook until tender.
- Add the crabmeat and cook for and additional 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Maryland Crab Soup Made With Old Bay
Being from Maryland I know that Maryland Crab Soup Made With Old Bay. There is no other way. This is a bowl of Chesapeake Bay comfort food. Full of vegetables and tender crab meat this soup has all the flavors my family loves. Ladle me another bowl and pass the extra Old Bay.
Last week we had our annual crab feed at the house. We invite a bunch of people, order almost 2 bushels of Maryland blue crabs, eat and enjoy a good time. Being from Maryland picking blue crabs is a tradition for me any my family and summer would not be complete unless we picked a few dozen of these delicious crustaceans.
After everyone left we had about a dozen large crabs left in the bushel. I was so excited because that means we had enough for a batch of my Maryland crab soup! Being from Maryland it was going to be made with Old Bay. Why? because there is no other way. Trust me on this one.
I know everyone has their own take on Maryland crab soup. This is mine. I hope you love it as much as I do.
More easy soup recipes:
- Black bean soup recipe
- Oven Roasted Tomato Soup
- Chilled Strawberry Soup
- Home Made Corn Chowder
- Beanless chili
- Peach Gazpacho
Maryland Crab Soup
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS
Ingredients
- 32 ounces Chicken Stock
- 32 ounces Beef Stock
- 2 Tablespoons Old Bay
- ÂĽ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Teaspoons Sugar
- 12 Large Maryland blue crabs (steamed, cooled and picked (or 1 pound crab meat))
- 3 15 oz. petite diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots
- 1 ½ cups diced celery
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- 1 ½ cups corn (1 15 oz can)
- 1 cup Potatoes (diced)
- 1 Onion (Diced)
Instructions
- Bring the beef and chicken stock to a boil in a large stockpot, then add the Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and sugar.32 ounces Chicken Stock, 32 ounces Beef Stock, 2 Tablespoons Old Bay, ÂĽ cup Worcestershire Sauce, 2 Bay Leaves, 2 Teaspoons Sugar
- Add the tomatoes, carrots, celery, corn, peas, and onion, bring to a low boil, and cook for 10 minutes.3 15 oz. petite diced tomatoes, 1 ½ cups diced carrots, 1 ½ cups diced celery, 1 ½ cups frozen peas, 1 Onion, 1 ½ cups corn
- Add the potatoes and cook until tender.1 cup Potatoes
- Add the crabmeat and cook for 10 minutes.12 Large Maryland blue crabs
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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June 2, 2018
Sarah Mock
For sure!! Just add the canned crab meat and heat until warmed through.
Lisa K
Can I use canned crab meat? Also can I use a crock-pot for this recipe?if so how long do you recommend cooking it for?
Mallory Lanz
Love all the flavors in this soup!
Jamielyn
Looks so fresh and tasty!
Sarah
Me too! Bring on warm sweaters and warm soup!
Sarah
It is so good! A great way to add vegetables to your menu.
Sarah
There are SO MANY reasons to love Old Bay! Thanks for the compliment.
Katherine Chase
Just another reason to love Old Bay! Awesome recipe!
Julie
It looks so hearty and tasty for fall!
Britni
I love that fall is coming and that means yummy new soup recipes.
Sarah
I would save the soft shell crabs to be eaten on their own. Soft shelled-crabs are a treat until themselves and should be savored as such. You are welcome to grab a container of pre-picked crab meat at your seafood counter. That is what I do when crabs are not in season. Enjoy!
Sarah
Yeah!! I am so happy you loved it!!
Liz
This was my first crab soup and it was delicious!!! I love the flavor the Old Bay adds. A winner!
Cindy
Wow I am so making this crab soup. my only fear is picking all that crab meat, any suggestions on how to save time. Also can soft-shelled crabs be used at all?