1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup boiling water
2 cups milk
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Dash of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (approximately)
Pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 bell pepper wedge
1 bay leaf
2 cups (or more, to taste) cleaned crab meat
1 pint whipping cream
Sherry, if desired
Chopped green onion (garnish)
In a large, heavy Dutch oven, make a light roux by stirring butter and flour
over medium-high flame until light brown.
Add celery and onion and cook until soft. Add water, milk, bouillon cubes,
cloves, garlic salt, pepper Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, bell
pepper and bay leaf. Simmer 1 to 2 hours, or more.
Remove bell pepper and bay leaf. Skim oil from top. Add crab and heat
thoroughly.
Before serving, add cream, (do not boil!), sherry, if desired, and green onion
garnish.
Serves four for a meal, 6 to 8 as an appetizer.
