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Wayne’s Award-Winning Maryland Crab Soup

I’ve often spoken of all the interesting and wonderful people who cross my path. Well, Wayne Brokke is one of those people. Wayne had seen me on QVC several times, and when the opportunity arose for a trip to Savannah, he made a special point of coming in to meet me. We had a great time getting to know each other. Wayne is the owner of Wayne’s Bar-B-Que in Baltimore, where he also does cooking segments for a local television station. When I mentioned to Wayne that I was writing another cookbook, he graciously offered to share a few of his recipes. They are Wayne’s Cranberry Sauce, and the following recipe, which is a five-time winner of the Maryland Old Bay Soupstakes Critics and People’s Choice Award. Thanks, Wayne, and continued good luck to you!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    about 8 quarts

Ingredients

4 quarts water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
6 soup crabs, or three small live crabs, cleaned and rinsed
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning, or more to taste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups lima beans, fresh or frozen
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups cubed red potatoes, skins on
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked free of any broken shells
1 pound claw crabmeat, picked free of any broken shells
Salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Bring the water to a boil in a stockpot, then add the chicken and beef bouillon granules and stir until dissolved. Cut the whole crabs in half, add them to the pot, and bring to a second boil. Skim any excess froth created by the crab parts. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, sugar, Tabasco, and bay leaves, and stir to combine. Add the carrots, celery, corn, green beans, lima beans, cabbage, and onion, bring to a low boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. Add the crabmeat and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved. Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.
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