Lowcountry she-crab soup (Asheville interpretation)
Photo: Jo Anna Barber from Hillsborough, NC, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

She-crab soup originated in Charleston around 1920 when William Deas, butler-cook to the city's mayor, adapted the Scotch-Irish partan-bree (cream-crab soup) by adding crab roe. The Lowcountry classic migrated inland to Asheville's modern Southern restaurants through the 1990s farm-to-table movement, where mountain kitchens added foraged mushrooms or local trout-roe substitutes. The Market Place and Rhubarb both run she-crab soup as seasonal specials; Tupelo Honey serves a year-round version on its Southern menu. The Lowcountry-Appalachian fusion plate became part of Asheville's broader Southern identity in the 2010s.

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Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 35 minTotal 60 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced fine
  • 2 ribs celery, diced fine
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 litre seafood or fish stock
  • 240ml heavy cream
  • 240ml whole milk
  • 500g picked lump crab meat
  • 60ml dry sherry plus more to serve
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Salt, black pepper, fresh chives, lemon zest

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and sweat 6 minutes until soft.
  2. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over and stir 2 minutes to cook the roux without colouring.
  3. Whisk in the seafood stock, slowly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook 8 minutes until lightly thickened.
  4. Stir in the cream, milk, Worcestershire and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes; do not boil hard.
  5. Add the crab meat carefully to keep lumps intact, plus the sherry. Warm 3 minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, drizzle each with a teaspoon of sherry, scatter chives and a fine grating of lemon zest.

Tip from the editors. The sherry is structural, not optional. Bring it to the table; the diner adds the second pour as the soup cools, which is the Charleston-style finish.

Where to eat lowcountry she-crab soup (asheville interpretation)

Lowcountry she-crab soup (Asheville interpretation) in Asheville

The Market Place ★ 4.8

$$$$ Tasting $85-110 per head, à la carteModern Appalachian, Farm-to-tableDowntownChef William Dissen

William Dissen's The Market Place on Wall Street moved here 1990 (founded 1979 by Mark Rosenstein). Dissen is a 2025 JBA Outstanding Chef semifinalist.

OrderThe Sunburst Trout Farm trout from Canton, plus the seasonal foraged mushroom plate.

Book3 weeks ahead

TipBook on the restaurant's reservation page. The walk-up bar pours small plates from the main menu.

Directions Book

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen and Bar ★ 4.2

$$ $14-24BrunchSouthern brunch, all-dayDowntown

Tupelo Honey on College Street in downtown Asheville opened in 2000 as an eclectic Southern brunch room. The flagship original of the regional chain.

OrderThe fried chicken biscuit, plus the sweet potato pancakes.

TipReservations are essential for weekend brunch; walk-in waits run 60-90 minutes after 10:00.

Directions

Rhubarb ★ 4.5

$$ $18-28BrunchSunday Supper, weekend brunchDowntown

John Fleer's Rhubarb on Pack Square runs Sunday brunch alongside its modern Southern dinner service. Wood-fired flatbreads, buttermilk biscuits, country ham.

OrderWhatever the wood oven is running, plus a buttermilk biscuit and country ham plate.

TipBook Sunday brunch a week ahead. The bar takes walk-ins from 10:30 on Sunday.

Directions

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