Tahitian-Style Crabmeat Soup with Coconut Milk
Most of the ingredients in this soup come from cans, but don’t let that fool you. The end result is fresh, flavor-packed, and very upscale (one of our staffers snatched the recipe from a super-chic L.A. friend after eating it at her posh dinner party). Coconut milk, a common ingredient in tropical cuisines, gives the dish an island vacation flavor. Serve it with crusty bread or homemade croutons (see below) and get ready to write out the recipe for your guests.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- One 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked free of shells
- One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Fresh lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot, cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat until just softened, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the coconut milk, cream, stock, crabmeat, and spinach.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
TIP:
- To add crunch, toss some homemade croutons into the soup. Dice a half baguette, small ciabatta, or Italian loaf, coat the pieces in plenty of olive oil, and put them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400°F oven (or toaster oven) for 7 minutes, or until nicely browned and crunchy.
