Lifestyle / Food / Regional soups
Mid-Atlantic · Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay
Maryland Crab Soup
By Staff Writer · October 6, 2026
Maryland’s tomato-based crab soup pairs blue crab with vegetables and seafood seasoning. It offers a lighter alternative to cream-based crab soups.
State & Nation home-kitchen version. Timing is approximate; use the doneness cues in the directions.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium potato, diced
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cups low-sodium seafood or vegetable stock
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound cooked lump crabmeat, checked for shell
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Black pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat oil in a soup pot. Cook onion, carrots and celery for 7 minutes.
- Add potato, tomatoes, stock, Old Bay and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.
- Add corn, green beans and peas; simmer 8 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
- Gently fold in crabmeat and heat for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, add parsley and adjust seasoning.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Regional background: Learn about this regional favorite. Ingredient quantities and directions above are a separately written home-kitchen version.