A rich blue-crab bisque thickened with cream and finished with a splash of sherry, traditionally made with the orange roe of female crabs.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
She-crab soup is a Charleston invention attributed to William Deas, butler and chef to Mayor R. Goodwyn Rhett, who reportedly enriched a simple crab stew with crab roe to impress President William Howard Taft on a visit in 1909. The dish lifted Charleston's reputation as a coastal kitchen city and remains the menu opener at nearly every Lowcountry dining room. Restrictions on female crab harvesting now mean most kitchens use crab roe sparingly or substitute with crab stock and cream; the dish is named for the original technique rather than today's recipe.
Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy, Gluten
Tip from the editors. Pick the crab meat over before adding; shells in a bisque are a kitchen sin. A spoon of sherry poured table-side is the traditional service.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Poogan's Porch on Queen Street in Charleston has plated Lowcountry brunch since 1976 from a converted 1891 home. Biscuits and sausage gravy, she-crab soup, USA Today's shrimp and grits.
Order: Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits
Tip: Book on Resy at least 5 days ahead for weekend brunch. Request a porch table; the inside rooms run small and warm.
82 Queen in Charleston has poured she-crab soup for 40 years from three historic buildings on Queen Street with a courtyard garden under a magnolia. Lowcountry institution.
Signature: She-crab soup, Shrimp and grits
Order: The 18-time-award-winning she-crab soup.
Tip: Book on OpenTable. Courtyard seats are the best in the house.
Slightly North of Broad in Charleston has run on East Bay Street since 1993. Frank Lee's reworked shrimp and grits became the canonical restaurant version of the Lowcountry plate.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Maverick Grits with sausage
Order: The shrimp and grits with stone-ground grits and house kielbasa, on the menu since the 90s.
Tip: Brunch and lunch are easier seats than dinner. Bar seats are walk-in only.
Hyman's Seafood in Charleston has fed the city from a Meeting Street row of historic buildings since 1890. Five generations of family ownership and a queue that wraps the block.
Signature: She-crab soup, Fried local seafood
Order: She-crab soup and a fried-fish plate with hushpuppies.
Tip: No reservations; arrive before 17:30 or expect a 45-minute wait. Hush puppies are free.
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