Laura Lynn Cream of Crab Soup

The wholesale meat market I go to doesn't just sell meat. They have a big freezer case with food-service-sized pouches of frozen vegetables, and they have a small section of canned food that never seems to have the same stuff stacked up in it two weeks in a row. That section is where I found standard (15-ounce) cans of Laura Lynn Cream of Crab soup for 25 cents each.

Now, I'm not a big fan of canned soup. There are a few varieties I like, but not that many; my family probably uses three or four cans of condensed soup a year. But for a quarter, I figured I'd take a chance. What the hell, the worst that could happen was I'd find out it tastes like shit and then blog about it, just like I do with other crappy canned stuff I buy. I took home two cans.

To my surprise, however, it wasn't that bad.

Prepared according to label directions, this cream of crab soup is pretty bland and nondescript. It has a bit of a crabby flavor, and there are lots of thready little bits of crabmeat, but it's a lot like every other canned cream soup out there - milky, mild, and meh. What surprised me was how delicious it was with a little bit of dressing up.

For example: Some friends dropped in for a visit a few weeks ago, and we invited them to stay for dinner. I needed a fast appetizer. I prepared a can of Laura Lynn Cream of Crab soup using 3/4 of a can of milk and 1/4 can of half-and-half. While it was heating, I took a small tub of freshly shucked oysters from the fridge and quickly sauteed them in a bit of butter, cooking them only until the edges started to curl a bit, then dropped two oysters and a small lump of butter into each of 6 small soup cups. When the soup was done, I ladled some into each cup, added a generous grind of fresh nutmeg, a little salt and pepper, and garnished with a sprig of parsley. It was excellent.

Shortly after using up that second can, I went back to the market and picked up a wholesale unit of it (12 cans) and I'm glad I did - I haven't seen the stuff for sale since.

I like to use it as a quick base for impromptu chowders. It really is amazing what half a cup of leftover lobster and a few chopped quahogs can do in a saucepan full of this "cream of crab" soup, but you don't even need costly ingredients for a winning combo - a small can of chopped clams, or some farmed fresh mussels, or even some chopped leftover fish and a handful of diced potatoes are wonderful as well. I hope I can find some more when I run out.