Crab Bisque

What even is crab bisque? I’m glad you asked! It's an old-school cream-based soup that's surprisingly easy to make and perfect for special occasions. Whether you make it as a summer soup star or a cozy winter main, crab bisque will please all year long. Here's everything you need to know.

What People Are Saying:
"This is the best dish I've ever made at home and one of the best foods/soups I have ever had. Perfect! Great Job and thank you!" - PurpleToast

"Excellent recipe! Usually I don't leave reviews, but this was fantastic." - pro8829

How To Make Crab Bisque

INGREDIENTS

• Butter: A bisque is all about the synergy of seafood and dairy. As such, you can’t beat butter for cooking the aromatics—it helps create a rich flavor base that merges seamlessly into the final bisque.
• Yellow Onion: Cooked in butter until sweet and mellow, finely chopped onion lends the soup a deep savoriness and subtle sweetness.
• Celery: Joins forces with the onion in an aromatic flavor base that works miracles with shellfish. Here, celery contributes a bright, fresh, slightly bitter quality that adds complexity to the soup and complements the sweetness of the crabmeat.
• Old Bay Seasoning: I couldn’t resist adding a little Old Bay to my bisque. The seasoning gives the soup just enough savory kick to keep things interesting without overwhelming the delicate crab flavor. Do keep in mind that this is potent stuff—a precise teaspoon is all you need.
• Garlic: I use minced garlic to add warmth and aromatic punch to the flavor base.
• Tomato Paste: Cream-based soups can easily tip over into cloying without tangy element. To head off that eventuality, I included just enough tomato paste to balance the cream without to this into tomato soup.
• All-Purpose Flour: Sprinkled over the flavor base and cooked briefly to form a roux, the flour helps the soup achieve a gloriously velvety texture.
• Fish Stock: While you can make your own, it's not a fun task. I much prefer to pick some up instead. I usually get it from Whole Foods, but any fish market likely sells it. If you're wondering if you absolutely need to use seafood stock, my answer is no. Though fish stock is optimal (it really sings with the crab), feel free to swap in low-sodium vegetable broth.
• Dry White Wine: No need to break the bank, but use a wine a crisp, lively acidity that can balance the rich cream. Pinot Grigio, Muscadet, or Sauvignon Blanc are all fit for purpose.
• Bay Leaf: Bay leaf works away in the background, giving a soup a fuller more rounded flavor. Just be sure to pluck out before serving.
• Heavy Cream: It’s not a bisque without cream! The key is to add the cream toward the end of cooking to avoid any possibility of curdling and to maintain the cream’s fresh, delicate taste.
• Lump Crabmeat: The star of this show. I went with lump crabmeat for its meaty texture and cleaner flavor. I stir half it in along with the cream to flavor the soup; the rest I use as a sort of crustacean cherry on top of each bowl.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Every good soup is built on a strong foundation, so let’s start by working on our flavor base. Grab a large, heavy pot (a Dutch oven is ideal) and melt the butter over medium heat; we want moderate heat because we are sweating, not browning, the vegetables. When the butter is foaming, add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent and softened, about 7 minutes; season with pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir in the Old Bay, garlic, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, just until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste coats the vegetables, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring to coat the butter in fat, for about 30 seconds. Congrats, you just made a roux that will lend a luxurious texture to the soup.

With our base in place, let’s move on to our liquids. Pour in the fish stock and wine and add the bay leaf; I recommend pouring in the liquids gradually while whisking to ensure even dispersal of the roux and prevent clumping. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes.

Now let’s turn this into a puree. First, remove the bay leaf; it’s just a flavoring agent and pureeing will only reduce it to small, sharp fragments. You have a couple options for pureeing the soup: (a) blend it directly in the pot with a handheld immersion blender, or (b) blend it in a standard blender, working in two batches. The immersion blender has convenience and ease of clean-up on its side; the standard blender will give you a considerably smoother, more velvety soup. Your call.

If you used a standard blender, return the soup to the pot. Stir in the cream and half of the crab. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until warmed through, about 5 minutes. At this stage, the point is to keep the delicate flavors and textures of the cream and crab as intact as possible, so use low-ish heat and stir gently to avoid breaking up the crab. That done, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. At last, ladle the soup into bowls and top with parsley and the remaining crab. Soup.is.on!

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How to thicken crab bisque: After sautéing the veggies, you'll want to stir in some flour. It'll help thicken the soup to make it extra smooth and creamy.
• How to get the smoothest crab bisque: I find that a standard blender (or, better yet, a Vitamix) yielded the best, smoothest texture. You can, of course, use an immersion blender and do your blending directly in the pot—which definitely makes things more convenient—but note the soup will a bit of extra texture. If that's what you want, you do you!

Storage

The soup base (without the cream and crabmeat) can be made up to 3 days ahead; let cool, then cover and chill. When ready to serve, reheat gently and stir in the cream and crabmeat.