Avocado-Buttermilk Soup with Crab Salad

We tried this because we have leftover buttermilk.

D made this. He said it is very easy.

The soup was very rich, and silky. I really liked it. He liked the crab salad a bit more than I did, but I think it was because I thought it would be more like a pico de gallo and it wasn't (I have concluded the picture is what made me think this). I was expecting a lime taste and not an orange taste. It was good, but by the time I got over the taste expectation it was gone.

(This would explain why I thought it needed lime juice and cilantro and perhaps a tomato though).

We used canned crab, because I'm cheap.

Would have again.

Avocado-Buttermilk Soup with Crab Salad

Simple orange-infused crabmeat floats atop a rich, creamy soup. If the soup seems a little too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more buttermilk.

Yield: 4 servings

3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatillos
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/8 teaspoon salt
2 ripe peeled avocados, pitted
1 serrano pepper, seeded
1 small garlic clove
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
8 ounces lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed

1. Place first 7 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

2. Combine bell pepper and remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine. Spoon about 3/4 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1/3 cup crabmeat mixture.

Wine note: The fresh and healthful ingredients of Avocado-Buttermilk Soup with Crab Salad scream California--or, specifically, California chardonnay. The full body and supple texture of a well-balanced wine like Bogle Chardonnay, California 2008 ($11), permit it to partner with the creamy soup and sweet shellfish, while the wine's tart apple flavors and lively finish cleanse the palate for the next delicious bite. --Jeffery Lindenmuth

CALORIES 252 ; FAT 16.3g (sat 2.6g,mono 9.8g,poly 2.3g); CHOLESTEROL 44mg; CALCIUM 107mg; CARBOHYDRATE 12.4g; SODIUM 540mg; PROTEIN 16.9g; FIBER 5.7g; IRON 1.5mg

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2010