Step 1:

Pour half-and-half and milk into a double boiler. Add chopped parsley sprigs, scored halved-celery stalks, bay leaves, bottm halves of the spring onions, (reserve the top halves to chop and add later), and quartered onion. Bring to just under a boil, but DO NOT  allow to a boil! Turn heat off and leave the stock to "steep" for about twenty- thirty  minutes like a pot of tea. Then remove and discard the onion, spring onions, celery, and bay leaves from the half & half/milk stock. A considerable amount of the chopped parsley will cling to the discarded celery and onions. This is OK, there will still be just enough parsley remaining behind in the stock. Be sure to recapture all the liquid strained from the veggies, and add back to stock.

Step 2:

In a small sauce pan or skillet, melt the butter over low heat and vigorously whisk in the flour to create a smooth almost creamy roux. As you are doing this blend the Old Bay Seasoning into the roux. If you perfer a more "Bisque" like consistency to you soup use 1/2 cup flour when making the roux, but if you do, I suggest using an extra 1/2 teaspoon of Crab Base, Chicken Base, or Granulated Chicken Boullion.

Step 3:

Bring the heat back up on the double boiler and stock. Again be very careful not to allow your soup stock to boil. As the stock is heating back up, add the chopped red bell pepper, chopped spring onion tops, the chopped egg yolk, crab base or substitute chicken base, or granulated chicken boullion, and then carefully add the jumbo lumb crabmeat, taking care not to break up the individual lumps of meat. Next genly blend in the roux, using a rubber spatula to scrape all the roux from the sauce pan. Rinse the container the crabmeat came in with the 1/2 cup of sherry wine (not cooking sherry! That stuff is gross!), and add the wine to the soup. This allows you to make use of all that good crab juice flavor that would otherwise be left behind in the container.

Step 4:

When the soup has heated through, ladle into pre-warmed bowls or cups and serve garnished with a small sprig of parsley and a sprinkleing of Old Bay Seasoning on top, along with oyster crackers. Make some extra sherry wine and old bay available for those that desire to add a little extra. This is a rich, decadent soup. Serves four to six depending on the serving size. Six if pairing with another dish.