Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut pumpkin into quarters. Scoop out seeds and stringy parts and set aside. Lay pumpkin pieces on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with olive oil and some garlic salt. Bake for 45 minutes (you may have to add more olive oil to the flesh if it starts to dry out.

Meanwhile, prepare pumpkin seeds by separating seeds from stringy parts. You can more easily do this by submerging it in a bowl of cold water and gently separate with your hands. You can repeat this process another time or two to make sure seeds don’t have goop on them. Now lay them on paper towels to dry completely.

When pumpkin is tender, remove from oven and separate flesh from skin. Sauté onion and garlic until golden. Place onion, garlic, and pumpkin in a bowl and use immersion blender to blend until smooth.

Add this homemade pumpkin puree to a large pot or Dutch oven and pour in chicken stock and spices. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add melted butter and spices to pumpkin seeds. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until crispy.

Sauté bacon until crispy and break into bits.

Finally, finish the soup by adding half and half, then crab meat and bacon. You can adjust the salt, to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.