Celeriac and Apple Soup with Dungeons Crab

It’s the end of January 2020—a new year and a new decade. I never thought I would make it this far. But here I am, thankful for being able to walk again and living in this beautiful area called Monterey Bay. There are so many wonderful things to do and to see, the endless Pacific Ocean, the mountains with their valleys and so much more. I have lived here for over 30 years and I haven’t seen everything—even though I have tried. I always look for new inspiration and new things to do and eat. A free magazine called edible Monterey helps me find new ventures in food. That’s where I found a new soup recipe using celeriac root, one of  my favorite winter vegetable.

​This soup is very similar to my creamy vegetable soup, called Krabbensuppe from the city of Hamburg, Germany. While my German version has different vegetables in the soup to complement the tiny shrimp from that part of the world. The celeriac soup in edible Monterey has apples, onions and celeriac root, seasoned with a hint of masala.

The soup by itself is delicious. I had some leftover for breakfast. But to bring it to the next level, add fresh Dungeness crab meat sautéed in browned butter. It makes it an elegant and special dish for any occasion. When I made it, I served it with crab cakes on a salad with citrus dressing. It was one of the first meals I cooked for my husband after I recovered. To all my friends who don’t have Dungeness crab available, I think lobster or shrimp would be great, maybe even scallops. It would make a special Valentine’s Day dinner. ​

Here are some other celeriac root recipes. ​

​This  ginger shrimp celeriac root salad makes makes a great lunch or light dinner

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​A creamy vegetable soup made with carrots, celeriac root, leeks and potatoes and topped with bay shrimp. In Germany this soup is called Krabbensuppe . Krabben are tiny shrimp from the Nordsee.  I make this soup all the time and everybody loves it.

review the recipe for crab cakes

review the recipe for ginger shrimp salad with celeriac

recipe for creamy vegetable soup with bay shrimp

I would not omit the marsala , it adds a great flavor. I bought a small box at Whole Foods called Tandoori Marsala. The original recipe used garam masala. I don’t know the difference. I used different variety of apples that I bought at the Farmer’s Market . The original recipe called for granny smith apples. Peeling the celeriac root can be tricky. I use a pairing knife and try not to cut myself. As soon as you peel and cut the celeriac into slices put them in cold water with a splash of lemon juice to prevent them from discoloring

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
serves 4 

2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 
5 + cups chicken broth
1 large celeriac root , peeled and sliced
​3 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced 
1 tsp. salt
¼  tsp. graham masala 
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Crab Topping:
4 TBS butter 
½-1 cup crab meat
2 tsp. chives, chopped

Directions:

Heat the oil and the butter over medium heat in a large pot, add the onions and sauté them for about 5 minutes until they get soft. Add the garlic and masala and sauté for an additional minute. Add the chicken broth, the celery and the apples and the rest of the spices. 
Bring to a boil  over high heat , then reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac root is soft. Put the pot in your kitchen sink and puree with an immersion stick until has a smooth and silky consistency . You can also puree in a blender if you don’t have an immersion stick.
Keep the soup warm while you heat the butter in a frying pan over medium stirring it frequently until the butter turns into a warm brown, do not burn it. This process takes about 4-6 minutes. Add the crab to the butter to warm. 
Pour the hot soup into into serving bowls, spoon the crab and butter over the soup. Sprinkle with chives.

Guten Appetit !
Recipe by Caroline Chambers in the winter addition of “edible Monterey”
​adapted by ©Sunnycovechef.com