Partan Bree (Scottish crab soup)
A traditional Scottish crab soup, simmered on the stove then blended smooth in the Vitamix and finished with a white crab meat garnish.
🍳 Cook: 90 min
Ingredients
| 1 | dressed crab | |
| 1 | onion, peeled and diced | |
| 1 | celery stick, finely sliced | |
| 1/2 | fennel bulb, finely sliced | |
| 1 | small carrot, peeled and sliced | |
| 2 | garlic cloves, peeled and sliced | |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 3 | thyme sprigs, leaves picked | |
| 5 | peppercorns | |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | coriander seeds |
| 50 g | basmati rice | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | tomato purée |
| 1 l | fish stock | |
| 1 | piece of orange rind | |
| 100 ml | milk | |
| 3 | dill stalks, plus some finely chopped for garnishing | |
| 1 | zest and juice of lemon | |
| — | Tabasco | |
| — | extra virgin olive oil |
Instructions
Serves 4. Total time 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Separate the white and brown crab meat. Using a rolling pin, smash the crab shell into pieces.
- Heat some oil in a pan and add the shells. Cook for 5 minutes then add the onion, fennel, celery, carrot and garlic and fry until soft. Add the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, coriander seeds and rice and toast for a minute.
- Add the tomato purée, cook for a minute, then add the stock and bring to the boil.
- Once the stock is boiling, turn the heat down and add the brown crab meat and orange rind. Leave to simmer for an hour.
- Add the milk and cook for a further 10 minutes. Drop in the dill stalks, saving some for garnishing, then leave to cool.
- After cooling down, transfer the pan's contents to the Vitamix, including the crab shell pieces. Start blending on Variable 1, gradually turning up the dial to Variable 10, then blend for 1 minute.
- Whilst the soup is blending, prepare the white crab meat garnish. Mix the crab with the chopped dill, lemon zest, a splash of Tabasco and some of the lemon juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When the soup is smooth, pass through a sieve, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice.
- Serve the soup hot with a spoonful of white crab meat on top and garnish with dill fronds and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.