Serves 4 or more
1 dozen live whole crabs; 2 pounds of claw meat will also do
1⁄2 cup of vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 quart of clam juice
1 12-ounce can of peeled tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
handful of parsley and tarragon stems, if you have them
1⁄2 cup brandy
3 cups cream
1⁄3 cup dried mushrooms
4 dried morel mushrooms, powered in a spice grinder and placed in a screened shaker
In a large container, smash the live crabs with a meat tenderizer. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot until nearly smoking and add crabs. Cook the crabs, stirring until they turn pink. Add and sweat the onion, carrot, and fennel until onion is translucent. Add clam juice, tomatoes, bay leaves, and herbs. Simmer for two hours. Strain crab stock through a strainer pushing all the juice from the shells with a ladle. Strain the soup back into a clean pot and reduce by half. In another clean pot, flame the brandy and reduce by one-third. Add reduced crab stock and 1 cup of cream, then set aside until ready for serving. In a small saucepot, add remaining 2 cups of cream and dried mushrooms. The dried mushrooms will give a stronger flavor. Gently heat the cream until the mushrooms are soft and place mixture in a blender. Puree completely and strain through a fine strainer. To serve, reheat soup and ladle into warmed bowls or cups. Reblend the mushroom cream to create froth and spoon froth on top of soup. Sprinkle with dried mushroom powder.
