Grilling the pumpkin gives this creamy comforting pumpkin crab soup a nice smoky flavor that dances on your taste buds! Fresh herbs like rosemary and sage add so much flavor. With just enough crab to make it feel substantial, this enticing, velvety smooth smoky seafood soup makes a delightful first course but can also stand on its own as a light meal, accompanied with cheesy garlic toast and/or a side salad.
Every time I eat this soup, I find myself wiping the bowl clean with my finger to get every. single. last. drop from the bowl.
The crab adds a nice seafood flavor and helps thicken the soup. I love the thickness, but if you find the soup too thick for your liking, add a bit more broth or cream. And I think I should mention, you can always add more seafood if you want more! I considered adding another can of crab, or perhaps some shrimp or scallops, but decided I was quite all right with the subtle undertone of crab flavor. If you’re using canned crab, definitely add the juices from the can to the pot.
What makes this soup smoky?
To get that good smoky flavor, I grilled the pumpkin, onion and the sweet peppers on a charcoal grill. That kind of grilling gives the fire-roasted flavor that makes the soup so so good. If you don’t feel like firing up the grill to cook your pumpkin or you want to use canned pumpkin, it will work, but then I suggest adding a couple drops of liquid smoke and a bit more smoked paprika to add the smoky flavor. Also, you’ll want to saute the onion and sweet pepper(s) in step 3 before stirring in the carrot and celery.
How do you grill a pumpkin?
Grilling a pumpkin is just as easy as cooking it in the oven!
- Choose a nice ripe pie pumpkin (a.k.a., sugar pumpkin) that is firm and all orange in color. If the pumpkin has any green on the outside, it’s not ripe yet.
- Fire up your grill and let it get nice and hot while you’re prepping the pumpkin.
- Cut the pumpkin in half, lengthwise. Start at the stem and cut around until you are back at the stem. Scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits, and sort out the seeds if you want to roast them.
- Brush the inside of the pumpkin all over with olive oil.
- Set the pumpkin cut side down on the grill. Let it cook until it’s browned or even a bit charred, then flip the pumpkins so the round side is down. Let cook until it’s completely soft and tender, moving to a more indirect heat if needed to keep it from burning. It’ll take roughly an hour on a nice hot grill.
- Remove the pumpkin and set aside until cool enough to touch.
Cooking a Pumpkin in the Oven
I’ve recently discovered that some people seem to be intimidated by cooking pumpkin, but in the same sentence, they tell me they cook squash all the time. Pumpkin is a winter squash, just like acorn or butternut squash, and you can cook pumpkin the same way you cook other winter squashes.
To cook a pumpkin in the oven, follow steps 1 – 4 above, then set the pumpkin cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until tender. No need to flip the pumpkin over because it’s not going to get charred in the oven.
Cooking a Pumpkin in the Instant Pot
This is my go-to method if the pumpkin fits in my Instant Pot. Break off the handle, then set the WHOLE pumpkin in the pressure cooker on the trivet. Add a cup of water, set the lever on the Instant Pot to the sealing position with pressure on high and cook. Depending on how big the pumpkin is, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. For a 2 – 2.5 lb. pumpkin, some claim it’ll cook in 15 minutes, but I like to hedge my bets a bit and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Bigger pumpkins, if they fit in your Instant Pot, will take longer. I would add 10 minutes per lb.
Release pressure and check the pumpkin for done-ness. The flesh should give easily when poked with a knife and the peel should easily fall off. If done, let cool, then lift the trivet out of the Instant pot, pull the peel off and cut open to scoop out the seeds and strings. Puree the flesh in a blender or food processor (or your little mini Ninja!). If not done, no worries. Just put the lid back on and cook for longer.
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Smoky Crab & Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
For the grilling of the pumpkin (and things):
- 1 sugar pumpkin (a.k.a, pie pumpkin), about 2 lb.
- 2 – 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 whole onion
- 1 – 2 red (or orange) mini sweet pepper(s)
To make the soup:
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled & chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 – 3 cups chicken, seafood or vegetable broth
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 lb. of the grilled pumpkin flesh (or about 3 cups canned or pureed pumpkin)
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 oz. Greek cream cheese
- 1 cup fat free (or regular) half & half
- 4 – 5 fresh sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 6 – 12 oz. crab meat (or 1 –2 6-oz. cans)
Instructions
- Start up the grill. While it is heating, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Brush the insides of the pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. You can also sprinkle on garlic or seasonings at this point if you like.
- Set the pumpkin halves, cut side down, onion and mini sweet pepper on the grill. Let grill for a few minutes, then check. Turn the pepper and onion if needed. Cook further, until the pepper is browned/blackened on all sides and the onion is soft. Remove the onion and pepper(s), reserving for later and let the pumpkin stay until it is browned or even a bit charred on the cut side. Turn the pumpkin sides over so the cut side is facing up. Continue cooking until the pumpkin flesh is soft, moving it to more indirect heat if needed, taking care not to let it burn. Remove from grill and set aside until the pumpkin until cool enough to touch. Pull the skin off the pepper(s) and the onion and roughly chop the onion into chunks.
- Heat 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant. Stir in the carrots and celery and saute briefly. Stir in the broth, fish sauce and bay leaf. Scoop the flesh from the pumpkin in chunks and add to the soup. Add the chopped rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook, uncovered, about 20 – 30 minutes.
- Pour the soup mixture into a blender and add everything else except the crab meat and blend until smooth … or add the paprika, cream cheese, cream and sage to the pot, then use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. If using a separate blender, pour the soup back into the pot.
- Stir in the crab meat and cook over medium low heat until hot. Season with salt & freshly ground pepper to taste and enjoy!
Notes
If using canned pumpkin, saute the onion in step 3, then add the peppers with the carrots and celery. Add a couple drops of liquid smoke and extra smoked paprika to the soup to add that good smoky flavor.
© Copyright 2021, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Nutrition analysis is for commercially prepared broth and 12 oz. crab meat. If you make your own broth and cut down the fish sauce, you can cut down on sodium significantly.
