Faux She-Crab Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 sticks butter 
• 0.5 cup celery finely chopped
• 1 bottle bottled clam juice 
• 1 pound crab meat 
• 3 tablespoons cream sherry sweet
• 6 servings accompaniment: crostini 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 3 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 quart half-and-half 
• 6 servings nutmeg 
• 6 servings seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 0.5 cup onion sweet finely chopped
• 1 pinch pepper white
• 1 cup milk whole
• 0.5 cup masago (smelt roe)
• 0.5 cup masago (smelt roe)

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• ladle
• whisk

Directions

1. Melt the butter in large saucepan over low heat.
2. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until the onions become translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add freshly cracked white pepper and stir in the flour to make a light roux. Set the roux aside.
4. In another saucepan, over low heat, combine the clam juice and the half-and-half.
5. Heat slowly until the mixture almost comes to a simmer.
6. Slowly whisk the clam juice mixture into the roux. Stir in the sherry and fold in the crabmeat.
7. Add seafood seasoning, to taste. Slowly reheat the sauce. (DO NOT BOIL!) If necessary, add milk to desired consistency. This should be a thick soup, so go slow with the milk.
8. Ladle the soup into small serving bowls and top each with a dollop of masago. Grate fresh nutmeg on top and serve with crostini.