cdkitchen > cooking experts > pamela chester
Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner. As everyone gets ready to gather together around the big screen to watch the 49ers and the Ravens face off, my mind is more focused on the eating possibilities than football. More specifically I’m thinking about seafood soups that are native to the opposing teams' hometowns.
Both Baltimore and San Francisco have strong regional identities and plenty of local charm. Each respective city is well known for a seafood soup tradition. San Francisco has its Cioppino and Baltimore has Maryland Crab Soup. Much like the brothers Harbaugh who will be coaching Super Bowl XLVII for the opposing teams, these two soups are closely related to one another. You can try staging a Super Bowl soup showdown and see which soup wins.
Both are influenced by the traditional Mediterranean bouillabaisse fish stew. Each soup starts off with a tomato based broth and feature fresh crab and a bit of veggies. Baltimore goes with the singular Blue Crab while San Francisco usually mixes it up with an assortment of fish and shellfish including the Dungeness crab.
Then Cioppino ventures a little Italian with the inclusion of fennel, garlic, and white wine. Meanwhile, Maryland Crab Soup heads in a spicier direction with a piquant blend of seasonings. It must include Old Bay, a signature spice to the Chesapeake region that includes paprika, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, and celery salt.
If you can get ‘em, Dungeness crabs really make Cioppino stand out. Being a lifelong fan of the east coast blue crab, it’s hard to admit, but I think the Dungeness wins for flavor. I fell in love with this crustacean on several visits to San Francisco. But it can be hard to find this delicacy. So if needed, substitute snow crab or king crab legs.
It’s easier to find blue crab all over. For soup it’s not necessary to go with lump crab, back fin is perfect. Fresh crab meat is usually available in the refrigerated section and is preferable to the canned variety. If you can get your hands on fresh crabs, then by all means, use them.
Make the two recipes side by side, and you’ll see how very similar they are. But with just a few different ingredients each soup is transformed into a unique dish that is definitive to its region. Serve the Cioppino with sliced sourdough bread and the Maryland Crab Soup with plain crackers or crusty bread. To tie it all together serve a simple green salad and some other fun regional munchies such as bacon wrapped dates, panko crusted fried avocado, crab cakes and crab dip.
Of course if you favor one team over the other, then pick just one soup. Or you could give a nod to the host city and throw in a third soup, a New Orleans gumbo!
So will your heart be with the Cioppino or will the crab soup charm the pants off you? In my opinion, the outcome of this soup face off is even harder to predict than the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1332-super-bowl-soups/
Battle of the Souper Bowl
Both Baltimore and San Francisco have strong regional identities and plenty of local charm. Each respective city is well known for a seafood soup tradition. San Francisco has its Cioppino and Baltimore has Maryland Crab Soup. Much like the brothers Harbaugh who will be coaching Super Bowl XLVII for the opposing teams, these two soups are closely related to one another. You can try staging a Super Bowl soup showdown and see which soup wins.
Both are influenced by the traditional Mediterranean bouillabaisse fish stew. Each soup starts off with a tomato based broth and feature fresh crab and a bit of veggies. Baltimore goes with the singular Blue Crab while San Francisco usually mixes it up with an assortment of fish and shellfish including the Dungeness crab.
Then Cioppino ventures a little Italian with the inclusion of fennel, garlic, and white wine. Meanwhile, Maryland Crab Soup heads in a spicier direction with a piquant blend of seasonings. It must include Old Bay, a signature spice to the Chesapeake region that includes paprika, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, and celery salt.
If you can get ‘em, Dungeness crabs really make Cioppino stand out. Being a lifelong fan of the east coast blue crab, it’s hard to admit, but I think the Dungeness wins for flavor. I fell in love with this crustacean on several visits to San Francisco. But it can be hard to find this delicacy. So if needed, substitute snow crab or king crab legs.
It’s easier to find blue crab all over. For soup it’s not necessary to go with lump crab, back fin is perfect. Fresh crab meat is usually available in the refrigerated section and is preferable to the canned variety. If you can get your hands on fresh crabs, then by all means, use them.
Make the two recipes side by side, and you’ll see how very similar they are. But with just a few different ingredients each soup is transformed into a unique dish that is definitive to its region. Serve the Cioppino with sliced sourdough bread and the Maryland Crab Soup with plain crackers or crusty bread. To tie it all together serve a simple green salad and some other fun regional munchies such as bacon wrapped dates, panko crusted fried avocado, crab cakes and crab dip.
Of course if you favor one team over the other, then pick just one soup. Or you could give a nod to the host city and throw in a third soup, a New Orleans gumbo!
So will your heart be with the Cioppino or will the crab soup charm the pants off you? In my opinion, the outcome of this soup face off is even harder to predict than the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl!
Maryland Crab Soup
Made with red pepper flakes, bay leaves, yellow onion, celery, garlic, whole tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, corn, green beans
Made with red pepper flakes, bay leaves, yellow onion, celery, garlic, whole tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, corn, green beans
Serves/Makes: 8
- 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 can (28 ounce size) whole tomatoes, chopped
- 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup fresh cooked corn off the cob
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
- 5 cups water
- 1 pound backfin crab meat
- salt and pepper
Combine onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, corn, beans, bay leaves, and pepper flakes and Old Bay in a large pot. Add water, stir, and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add crab meat to soup and simmer for about 40 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
share this article:
related articles
Write a comment:
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1332-super-bowl-soups/