She Crab Soup

A creamy bowl of ocean sweetness named because it contains roe from Atlantic blue crabs of the female persuasion, she-crab soup is a specialty of Lowcountry restaurants, particularly those in and around the city of Charleston. It is made with milk or cream, crab stock, and shreds of crab meat and usually is quite delicately seasoned. The traditional presentation includes a shot of dry Sherry that is poured onto the soup, the heat of which coaxes forth an intoxicating winey scent. While she-crab soup can be the most elegant dish, served in bone china with a silver cruet for Amontillado, it also is found in the most informal seafood restaurants, where dishware is Styrofoam and the fortified wine is Night Train Express.