Green Tomato Soup Recipe

Prepare vegetables

Wash green tomatoes and coarsely chop into roughly 1-inch pieces. Dice the onion and celery; smash and peel garlic cloves.

Sweat aromatics

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil. When butter foams, add the diced onion and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the smashed garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.

Cook tomatoes

Add the chopped green tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down and release juices.

Simmer

Add the stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes so flavors meld and tomatoes fully soften.

Remove aromatics and blend

Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. Alternatively, carefully transfer soup in batches to a blender and purée until silky. Return puréed soup to the pot and keep over low heat (do not boil).

Temper buttermilk

To avoid curdling, whisk a few tablespoons of the hot puréed soup into the cold buttermilk to gently warm it (about 2–3 tbs). Then slowly whisk the tempered buttermilk into the pot of soup until fully incorporated. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, and the optional 1 tbs butter. Stir and taste; adjust seasoning with up to 1/4 tsp additional salt if needed. Keep soup warm on the lowest heat — do not boil after adding buttermilk.

Prepare crab

Gently pick through the blue crab meat to remove any shell fragments. In a small bowl, combine the crab meat with mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice, snipped chives, celery salt, and black pepper. Fold gently to keep lumps intact. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little more lemon if desired.

Optional quick sauté

If you prefer warm crab, heat a nonstick skillet over medium with 1 tsp olive oil and quickly warm the crab mixture for 30–45 seconds, just to warm through without breaking the lumps. Remove from heat.

Ladle the warm green tomato soup into bowls. Spoon 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of the dressed blue crab onto the center of each bowl. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle microgreens or baby basil, and serve with crusty bread on the side.

Notes: Serve immediately. The soup keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days; rewarm gently and stir in a splash of fresh buttermilk or cream before serving if needed. Do not boil once buttermilk is added.