Welcome to the FLORIDA SURFCASTERS forums.

This is a tomato based crab soup recipe from my native Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Ingredients:

• One quart of water
• Three chicken parts (neck or wing)
• Three 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes -- drained
• Eight ounces of frozen corn -- thawed
• One cup frozen peas 
• Two cups of potatos -- diced
• 3/4 cups celery -- diced
• 3/4 cups of onion -- diced
• 3/4 cups of carrots -- diced
• Two tablespoons of Old Bay Seafood Seasoning (If milder soup is desired; use one tablespoon & a dash.)
• One Teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• One Bay leaf -- whole
• Six large or eight + medium crabs -- steamed & picked

Instructions:

• Catch or buy your Blue Crabs -- big Jimmy crabs are best!  If the crabs are heavy, six will do; if light or smaller, then go with eight to ten. If you don't wish to steam and clean your own crabs (which I do) then substitute a pound of fresh crabmeat from a good seafood market. (No Indonesian pasteurized crab please.)
• Place water and chicken parts in a six-quart soup pot; cover and simmer over low heat for at least an hour ; discard chicken parts leaving only the broth.  As an acceptable substitute you may use two 14 ounce cans of chicken broth, purchased from the store. (I do; Mother didn't have that option.) 
• Have broth at a good simmer and add the vegetables -- except for the peas. Also add the spices, then cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are almost done.
• Add the still frozen peas and the crab meat,  cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Ladle out the soup and enjoy -- makes 8 servings.

Note: When I pick the crabs for soup, I reach under the carapace points to get some of the "crab fat" and new forming shell, (which is soft tissue) to add to the pickings. I also will not completely clean the lower pincher joint. Instead I will remove all the shell except for upper side of the pincher which has the cartilage running through the meat -- these are referred to as "crab fingers" and can also be bought fresh-picked and packed in a can and sold in the better seafood markets. By adding them whole, you get to eat part of your soup with your hands.