Vietnamese Crab & Asparagus Soup/ Súp Măng Cua

When I went to Vietnam last summer we spent most of our time in Saigon, also known as Ho Chi Minh City. Everyday was for the most part, an adventure. Either it was meeting new people, exploring new places or most importantly, eating more food. I have never experienced Vietnamese food as good as it was in Vietnam, which obviously makes sense.

Near our hotel was an outdoor market that my family and I would visit almost every single morning. Our popular choices for our meals were either noodle soup or Chè, which is a type of Vietnamese dessert. The woman who sold the Chè also sold the most amazing súp măng cua I have ever tried in my life! Fresh, always steaming hot and filled with deliciously large chunks of crab. This soup has always been one of my favorites and surprisingly its super easy to make too. This recipe is from my mother and is equally as delicious too. Warms me up perfectly on these cold winter days!

This recipe is kind of a mix between the traditional Crab/Asparagus soup and Shark Fin soup. I couldn't find anything else like it online, so I think it might just be something my mom made up herself. My mom's súp măng cua doesn't have any eggs in it, as you see in some other recipes and she adds enoki mushrooms, which is by far my most favorite part of the soup! Also, we use imitation shark fin because we happen to think cutting off the fins of sharks is definitely not right. But in the pictures you can see some clear-ish noodle looking things, which is actually the imitation shark fin. It adds a really nice texture to the soup. I tried looking up imitation shark fin online so I could show you guys what I'm talking about, but no luck! It can definitely be found in Vietnamese grocery stores and I'll update you if I find out more information. If it can't be found, this soup is equally delicious without it.

Vietnamese Crab & Asparagus Soup/ Súp Măng Cua

Yields: about 8 servings

Printable Recipe

10 cups homemade chicken stock, low-sodium canned also works

1 large can white asparagus, drained

2 cans of enoki mushroom, drained

imitation shark fin

1/2 lb. crab meat

1 - 2 tbsn. cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup water

fish sauce, to taste

pepper, to taste

cilantro, chopped (for garnish/ optional)

Heat your chicken stock over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, mushrooms, imitation shark fin and crab meat. Next, add the corn starch mixture, stir until incorporated and bring to a boil. Stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Turn heat to low and add fish sauce and pepper to taste, top with some cilantro and enjoy!