Crab Bisque
You might remember us mentioning the fabulous restaurant that inspired the fried green tomatoes that we made a couple of weeks ago – Lightfoot Restaurant in Leesburg, VA. It was definitely one of our most memorable meals we've had in the past year and we continue to be inspired by everything that ended up on the table that night. Our Chief Culinary Consultant ordered the crab bisque that night and raved about it for months afterward. We immediately put it on our “to-make” list and was able to cross it off this summer.
This is a speedy and straightforward bisque recipe that can be ready in less than 45 minutes. We took a shortcut by using store-bought seafood stock, but you could absolutely make your own if you’d like (be sure to click over to the original recipe on Simply Recipes for the stock). The flavor of crab is bright and bold, and accented by the wine, tomato paste and heavy cream. While hot soups usually make us think of fall and winter, this crab bisque is a reliable summer send-off. The flavors remind us of the ocean, summer and beaches; it’s the reliable segue from summer to fall foods.
One year ago: Beer-Battered Zucchini Fries
Two years ago: S’mores Brownies
Three years ago: Beer Waffles with Cinnamon-Caramel Apples
Four years ago: Zucchini Bread
Five years ago: Italian Bread
Crab Bisque
Yield: 4 servings A speedy recipe for a robust and flavorful Crab Bisque- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (3.33 g) finely chopped shallots
- 1 quart (946.35 g) seafood stock, (4 cups )
- 1 cup (185 g) white rice
- ¾ cup (180 ml) white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) crab meat, divided
- 1¼ cups (297.5 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, rice, wine and tomato paste, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Stir two-thirds of the crab meat into the soup, then transfer it to a blender (work in batches if you have a small blender) and puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat.
- Stir in the remaining crab meat, cream, salt and cayenne pepper. Heat until the cream and crab meat are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 4 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 40 minutes
- Total: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup ( 3.33 g ) finely chopped shallots
- 1 quart ( 946.35 g ) seafood stock, (4 cups )
- 1 cup ( 185 g ) white rice
- ¾ cup ( 180 ml ) white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16 ounces ( 453.59 g ) crab meat, divided
- 1¼ cups ( 297.5 ml ) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ( 0.13 teaspoon ) cayenne pepper
Method
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, rice, wine and tomato paste, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Stir two-thirds of the crab meat into the soup, then transfer it to a blender (work in batches if you have a small blender) and puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat.
- Stir in the remaining crab meat, cream, salt and cayenne pepper. Heat until the cream and crab meat are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
