Description
A luxurious seafood bisque featuring sweet crab meat and tender shrimp in a rich, creamy broth flavored with aromatic vegetables and a touch of brandy.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (shells reserved)
- 8 oz crab meat
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup brandy or dry sherry
- 4 cups seafood stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the shrimp shells in 1 tablespoon of butter until pink and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the brandy or sherry and let it reduce by half.
- Add the seafood stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Strain the stock and return the liquid to the pot. Discard the solids.
- In a separate pan, sauté the shrimp in the remaining butter until just pink. Set aside half for garnish and add the rest to the strained stock.
- Add the crab meat to the pot and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream and heat through without boiling. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, garnished with reserved shrimp and fresh parsley.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, you can make your own seafood stock with the shrimp shells.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender in batches.
- This bisque can be made ahead and reheated gently without boiling to preserve the creamy texture.
- Lump crab meat is preferred for the best texture, but canned crab can work in a pinch.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 180mg
Keywords: seafood bisque, crab soup, shrimp bisque, creamy seafood soup, homemade bisque
