Crab and Avocado Soup

If the avocados that you have purchased are too firm, put them in a paper bag with an apple or a banana. The ethylene gas naturally emitted by either fruit will hasten ripening.

Ingredients:

  • 3 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • Juice of 1 lime, plus more, to taste
  • 3/4 cup water
  • Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 lb. fresh-cooked lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell fragments
  • 2 fresh chives, snipped

Directions:

Make the soup
In a food processor or blender, combine the avocados, chilies, coconut milk, lime juice and water and process to a smooth puree. Season with salt, white pepper and additional lime juice.

Garnish the soup
Serve immediately or, for a chilled soup, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the crabmeat. Sprinkle with the chives and serve. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Soup, by Georgeanne Brennan (Oxmoor House, 2006).