Peachpie, this link will show you the difference. This refers to blue crabs, however. I don’t know about any other types of crabs. http://www.blue-crab.org/identification.php

Aw, TJ, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Actually, it made me wonder, and it’s been awhile since I had she-crab. I know the recipe calls for roe. But do they actually use it in those restaurants? I know they charge enough for that soup, but just wondering if they legally have to use the roe in order to call it she-crab…or if they’re legally allowed to. Maybe it depends on the state you eat the soup in. I know that here in Jersey you wouldn’t be allowed to. I wonder about Maryland. blue-crab.org is a great site for all things crabworthy (restaurants included). I honestly never noticed, because truthfully I wasn’t into crabbing back then.

I’ve had she-crab soup as well, and no, it’s not the same. She-crab soup calls for roe. I’d never prepare this soup, probably because I’m a recreational crabber and I always throw the females back, whether they’re pregnant or not (and it’s against the law to keep a pregnant crab in NJ).

Both taste mighty good, though. And you know what? I almost forgot about the cream of crab soup my boyfriend and daughter and I ate in Easton, Maryland a few summers back. It was at Legal Spirits Tavern in downtown Easton, right next to the Avalon Theatre (very cool place). It was pretty expensive for a bowl, but worth every single penny.

Someone answered a thread I started! Now I don’t have to change my screen name! Just kidding.

I did a search on here to make sure there was no other mention of this soup. I feel a bit timid starting a thread, because I’m not good at restaurant reviews. Plus I digress way too much. It’s a problem, so I usually stick to adding to existing threads. However, I had to mention two places in Chincoteague, Virginia, where the cream of crab soup was "SLAMMIN’"!! My daughter and I just returned back home last night from there. The first place we had it was at Bill’s Seafood Restaurant on Main St. I would recommend this place not only for this soup, but for the professional service and just the nice, laid-back (yet kinda semi-elegant) quality of the place. The soup was creamy, of course, not too thin, not too thick, had nice chunks of crab in it (ever have soup or chowder where you couldn’t see what the soup was about, where it was just flavored and there were no pieces to prove this was the soup you ordered?) and it was spicy enough where I had to get up and go into the ladies’ room and blow my nose (lol). That was the first place. The second place is called Ray’s Shanty and is on Route 175 in Wattsville. It’s close to the NASA Visitor’s Center and NOAA. It looks like a dark green house. This place caters to the locals and I’m glad we went. It was recommended by one of our field reps at work who lives in VA Beach. The soup was a dollar cheaper at $3.95 for a big bowl that I couldn’t finish! The crab chunks were smaller, but honestly, the overall dining experience was a bit more roadfoodish and felt even more comfortable to us. Lots of people, families with small children etc. who go to seaside towns are too tired, too worn out by their younguns to schlep even slightly out of town, so they go more locally and they basically get roped into those buffets or whatever. They don’t want to drive even a few miles out of town to get something with more quality.

Anyway, since this is about soup I won’t mention the "bangin’" hushpuppies at Ray’s or the outrageously good softshells…but I guess it’s too late since I just did. We will return to this place. The service here was also friendly, unpretentious and quick.