Chilled Avocado Soup with Crab

Ingredients

• 3 large Hass avocados—halved, pitted and peeled
• 2 cups cold vegetable stock, preferably homemade
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt
• Canola oil, for frying
• 4 medium serrano chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
• 1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
• Mexican crema and micro cilantro, for garnish

Steps

1. In a food processor, combine the avocados, stock, 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of the lime juice and puree until very smooth. With the machine on, gradually add the heavy cream. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl, then season with salt. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat ¼ inch of canola oil until shimmering. Add the serranos and fry over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
3. In a medium bowl, gently toss the crab with the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and top with the crab and crispy serranos. Garnish with crema and cilantro and serve.