Crab Bisque
Named after the Bay of Biscay in France, bisque is a rich, creamy soup that is thickened with rice and often contains seafood. In this recipe, sweet crabmeat is the seafood addition. Other seafood to turn into bisque include crayfish, shrimp, lobster, and oysters. Vegetables, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, or pumpkins, can also be turned into bisque.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup diced leeks (white and light green parts only — discard dark green)
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup rice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup lump crabmeat
- ½ cup cream
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Sauté onions, leeks, and celery in butter until soft. Mix in tomato paste.
Add chicken broth and rice, and bring to a boil.
Add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and nutmeg. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
Remove bay leaf; purée liquid in a blender.
Return bisque to low heat and stir in crabmeat and cream.
Season bisque with salt and pepper.
Relish the Bisque
Garnish your crab bisque with lump crabmeat and a relish of diced red bell peppers, cucumbers, lemon zest, olive oil, and lemon juice. Or top it with blanched asparagus tips, crabmeat, and a dab of Hollandaise Sauce spiked with cayenne pepper.
