This recipe for Martha Washington’s Crab Soup was found in The First Ladies Cook Book under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s section of favorite recipes. Apparently the first First Lady’s Crab Soup was well-loved by the Roosevelt family and was also served during the Eisenhower administration.
This 250 year old recipe was probably considered fine cuisine way back then– crabs were considered a special treat to Colonists. Though, if you make it as is, you’ll find this soup to be very simple in flavor. Ingredients and depth of flavor were a bit different back then. To add more zing, toss in some crumbled bacon, sautéed onion, diced potato, lemon juice and fresh parsley, and you’ll have given this centuries old recipe a modern spin (and a little more flavor your 21st century palate desires). Both the original recipe and our adaptations are below.
