old-school baltimore crab soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 ham bone
• 2/3 cup barley
• 2 tablespoons salt, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 4 cups water
• 1 small head cabbage, shredded
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup water
• 3 (15 ounce) cans white corn, drained
• 1 pound green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen lima beans
• 1 (6 ounce) package frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons seafood seasoning (such as old bay®), or more to taste
• 4 female blue crabs
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 cup water
• 2 (6 ounce) cans lump crabmeat, drained

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ready Time: 4 hrs 25 mins


• bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add the carrots, and cook uncovered until tender, about 5 minutes. drain well, and set aside.
• place the ham bone, barley, salt, and pepper in large stock pot with 4 cups of water. simmer over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes. add cabbage and tomatoes; continue simmering for 15 more minutes. stir in the potatoes and carrots. simmer until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes. stir in 1 cup of water, corn, green beans, lima beans, and peas. simmer for 20 minutes.
• while the soup is simmering, clean the crabs by opening it and discarding the lungs and mouth. remove the yellowish-brown tomalley and set aside. break the crabs in half and add to the soup along with the seafood seasoning. simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• meanwhile, place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. cook and stir the reserved tomalley in the remaining bacon grease over low heat until the mixture becomes gravy-like. stir the cooked tomalley into the soup with 1 more cup of water. continue simmering for 45 minutes, then add the lump crabmeat. season with additional salt, pepper, and seafood seasoning, if necessary. simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. reduce heat to low, until ready to serve.