1/4 pound butter
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 cup flour
1/2 gallon whole milk
1 cup water
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked clean
1/4 pound crab roe, picked clean
Extra cooking sherry for serving, as you like
In a large pot, sauté vegetables with the butter and add the spices and sherry. Cook until vegetables are soft, then add the flour to make a roux and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir repeatedly to keep mixture from sticking to bottom of pot. Slowly pour in milk and water, stirring constantly until all lumps are gone.
Press soup through a coarse strainer (you can use a colander if you don't have a strainer) into another large pot, add crabmeat and crab roe. Return to stovetop and cook on low heat until soup is hot. Soup may be refrigerated and reheated with some milk. Serve with a splash of sherry.
