healthier cream of crab soup?

[Rob334]

I am thinking of trying to make a healthier cream of crab soup. So the issue is how to replace the cream or half and half. My ideas so far cream of celery soup with a reduced-fat milk/flour roe or using evaporated milk. What do you think?

[eclecticsynergy]

You might try evaporated skim milk.

[mcf]

Replacing fat with starch has proven to be less healthy than eating the fat. If you're really determined to reduce the fat, I'd make it more like milk by using cream diluted with water, or just whole milk.

[c oliver]

Do you have the luxury of having this often enough that you even need to lighten it up? That's a splurge for me so fat be damned )

[dct]

You may want to replace some of the cream/milk with either potato or rice that has been cooked in the soup base until very tender. When you blend it, you get a nice texture without as much dairy, though i think you still need a little cream. Julia Child has written something about using rice as thickener in soups, but I can't find it now,sorry.

[escondido123]

Are you talking about using a canned cream of celery soup? I find that a lot more objectionable healthwise than half and half.

[todao]

Once you do the math (x% per "serving") for evaporated milk you may not find it as healthy (compared to other milk products) than believed.
In your place, I would lean toward a roux using 2% milk and lightly browned flour (for flavor) with a celery or potato base.