Crab and Asparagus Soup
This lovely soup is a French colonial creation that showcases asparagus in a standard Chinese-style egg-flower soup. The original version was made with canned asparagus, but you can enjoy the vivid green color and flavor of fresh asparagus, known in Vietnam as mang toy, or Western bamboo. To prepare with canned asparagus (green or white), drain, cut into 1-inch lengths, and add at the end of cooking, just before the egg. I sometimes like to use zucchini, edamame beans (fresh soybeans), baby spinach leaves, or frozen peas in place of asparagus. Canned crabmeat works nicely in this soup, making it an everyday dish.
This lovely soup is a French colonial creation that showcases asparagus in a standard Chinese-style egg-flower soup. The original version was made with canned asparagus, but you can enjoy the vivid green color and flavor of fresh asparagus, known in Vietnam as mang toy, or Western bamboo. To prepare with canned asparagus (green or white), drain, cut into 1-inch lengths, and add at the end of cooking, just before the egg. I sometimes like to use zucchini, edamame beans (fresh soybeans), baby spinach leaves, or frozen peas in place of asparagus. Canned crabmeat works nicely in this soup, making it an everyday dish.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 pound fresh asparagus
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1/4 pound cooked lump crabmeat or one 6-ounce can, drained (about 3/4 cup)
- Carbohydrate 3.83970479054983 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.75600677083026 g
- Fiber 1.52053119633693 g
- Protein 2.61003020828491 g
- Saturated Fat 0.198823961233873 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (322g)
- Sodium 930.228843749803 mg
- Sugar 2.3191735942129 g
- Trans Fat 0.432529929846064 g
- Calories 46 calories
Step-by-step
- Trim the asparagus, breaking off and discarding the base of each stalk about here the bright green color fades. Cut each stalk crosswise diagonally into 1 inch pieces, but leave the beautiful tips intact. (You should have about 2 cups.)
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute, and then add the asparagus, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the shallots and garlic are fragrant and the asparagus is shiny and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, stirring it to make a thin, smooth paste. Add it to the soup. Stir the soup well and drizzle in the beaten egg, letting it swirl to form lacy shreds in the hot broth. Add the crabmeat and stir well. Sprinkle in the green onion, remove the soup from the heat, and serve hot or warm
Balancing delicate seafood and crisp vegetables within a fast-cooking broth requires precise management of heat and volume. This preparation uses a standard three-quart saucepan to build a clear chicken broth base infused with aromatics, yielding four portions without overcrowding the vegetables. When doubling the quantity for larger groups, do not crowd the pan during the initial sauté phase; cook the aromatics in two separate batches to ensure the garlic and shallots sweat properly rather than steam. A heavy-bottomed pot prevents hot spots that can scorch the cornstarch slurry once it enters the boiling liquid.
Scaling and Thickening Mechanics
Adjusting the cornstarch slurry ratio is vital when altering batch sizes. Maintain a ratio of one teaspoon of cornstarch per two cups of total liquid to preserve the silky mouthfeel without muting the chicken broth. Whisk the starch into cold water until completely smooth before incorporating it into the simmering pot to prevent unappetizing lumps. Pour the beaten egg in a slow, steady stream while stirring the broth continuously in one direction to create distinct lacy ribbons rather than heavy clumps.
- If the soup boils too vigorously after adding the egg, the protein strands will toughen and break apart into cloudy particles.
- Substitute canned white asparagus directly for fresh stalks by draining the liquid thoroughly and slicing the pieces into one-inch lengths before dropping them in during the final minute of simmering.
- Store leftover portions in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours, though reheating must be done gently over low heat to prevent the crabmeat from turning rubbery.
