Name: Cream of Crab Soup
Ingredients: 3 chicken bouillon cubes; 6 cups half and half; 1 cup water; ½ stick butter; ⅓ cup cornstarch; 1 lb crabmeat; Old Bay, salt, pepper to taste; 2 tbsp cooking sherry (optional)

Why it works: Butter and sherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,505 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

Cream of Crab Soup

Time30 to 40 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the soup

Heat half and half, butter, and chicken bouillon cubes until almost boiling.
Mix water and cornstarch together and use to thicken the milk mixture.
Add salt, pepper, and Old Bay.
Add crabmeat.
Heat through 30 to 40 minutes.

Finish and serve

Just before serving, add cooking sherry.
Serve with spinach salad and garlic bread.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

804Calories

45 gProtein

22 gFat

98 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,505 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Chicken + sherrytop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together891 recipes

Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
Chicken + buttertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together13,902 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Chicken + peppertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,958 recipes

Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
Pepper + sherrytop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,107 recipes

Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Half and half: Provides the creamy base and body of the soup.
Cornstarch: Thickens the liquid into a smooth, velvety consistency when heated.
Crabmeat: Supplies the main seafood flavor and tender pieces of meat.
Chicken bouillon cubes: Adds savory depth and salt to the cream base.
Butter: Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel to the base.

The step that matters

Thickening with cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch must be mixed with cold water before adding to hot liquid, otherwise it clumps. It thickens only when the mixture reaches a simmer, so the soup needs to be heated enough for the starch to fully swell and set the texture.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Cream of Crab Soup