Description
Luxurious crab bisque combines rich seafood flavors with creamy French culinary techniques. Delicate shellfish and aromatic herbs create an elegant dining experience you’ll savor to the last spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) crab meat, fresh
- 4 cups seafood stock (or vegetable stock)
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional, for extra creaminess)
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3–4 celery stalks, diced
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté Base: In a Dutch oven, gently melt olive oil and butter, creating a golden aromatic foundation for the bisque.
- Vegetable Infusion: Add onions, celery, and garlic, sautéing until vegetables become soft and translucent, releasing their delicate flavors.
- Flavor Building: Dust vegetables with flour, then introduce tomato paste, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper, stirring to develop a rich, concentrated flavor profile.
- Liquid Integration: Gradually whisk seafood stock into the vegetable mixture, incorporating bay leaves and allowing the bisque to simmer, melding flavors harmoniously.
- Texture Transformation: Remove bay leaves and purée the mixture using an immersion blender until achieving a smooth, velvety consistency.
- Finishing Touch: Gently fold in heavy cream and crab meat, warming carefully to preserve the delicate seafood’s tender texture.
- Serving Presentation: Ladle the creamy, luxurious bisque into bowls, garnishing as desired and serving immediately to capture peak flavor and warmth.
Notes
- Butter and Oil Blend: Combining olive oil and butter creates a rich, nuanced flavor base that adds depth to the bisque’s initial cooking stage.
- Vegetable Layering Technique: Gradually introducing and cooking vegetables allows each ingredient to develop its unique sweetness and release aromatic compounds.
- Flour Coating Trick: Thoroughly coating vegetables with flour helps thicken the bisque and eliminates raw flour’s unpleasant taste, ensuring a smooth texture.
- Gentle Finishing Method: Warming crab meat delicately prevents toughening, maintaining its tender, succulent quality while integrating seamlessly into the creamy bisque.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg