Crab Bisque
You might remember me mentioning the fabulous restaurant that inspired the fried green tomatoes that I made a couple of weeks ago – Lightfoot Restaurant in Leesburg, VA. It was definitely one of my most memorable meals I’ve had in the past year and I continue to be inspired by everything that ended up on the table that night. My Chief Culinary Consultant ordered the crab bisque that night and raved about it for months afterward. I immediately put it on my “to-make” list and was able to cross it off this summer.
This is a quick and easy bisque recipe that can be ready in less than 45 minutes. I 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 me think of fall and winter, this crab bisque is a perfect summer send-off. The flavors remind me of the ocean, summer and beaches; it’s the perfect 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
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- â…“ 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
- â…› teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
Instructions
- 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
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Can you use masala wine instead of white?
Hi Marianne, The flavor will obviously be a bit different, but otherwise it should work!
Outstanding recipe! Made it with both crab and lobster and it gets better each time! I can’t find the seafood stock in the midwest, but the chicken stock works well. Thank you for this, I have passed it on to friends who are also fans!
Delicious flavor, questionable texture. The rice added a richness, however, I don’t think I cooked it long enough or did not puree it well enough as the bisque had half grains of rice throughout and was not smoooooth. Will try again, cooking the rice longer, maybe adding the stock and tomato paste later in the cooking process. Any other ideas? I look at it as cooking is an art and takes several attempts for perfection.
I would use pre-cooked rice and start with a little bit then add more.
I use plain old minute rice and put it in the blender. Works well. I don’t have the patience to make “real” rice in my rice cooker.
I’m guessing that 1 cup of rice is a typo. The original recipe that she links to calls for 1/4 cup of rice, which is what I used when I made this recipe tonight. The 1/4 cup of rice made for a wonderfully thick bisque instead of the baby food consistency that people experienced when they used a full cup. The picture of the bisque that she made here appears to have either less than a cup of rice or way more seafood stock, it’s very similar to the thickness of the bisque I made. A full cup of rice would have made it too thick and mushy.
I tried to make this as written, but ended up adding 2 more cups of liquid and a little bit more cayenne as well as a little Old Bay to give it some more flavor. My husband loves it – I like it too, but I think I will halve the rice next time (or possibly just use a recipe that utilizes a roux instead). Before adding the liquid it was just way too thick, and even with it it seems to have a bit of a gummy texture with the blended rice. Overall not bad – any creamy soup with chunks of crab can’t be too bad, right?! : )
Instant mashed potatoes work great in place of the rice!
The flavor is fantastic, I will give you that! But I think a cup of cooked rice would be better because a. It was wayyyyyy too thick and b. Would desintegrate more to be smoother. But again the flavor was awesome and even our 1 year old loves it!
Creamy and wonderful. I like very much.
Just got some fresh crabs yesterday & would love to try this recipe. Just wondering exactly what type of wine to use (I am awful when it comes to wines & would likely end up with a dry when a sweet was needed or vice versa).
Hi Emma, A chardonnay would work well with this.
I had the same problem with the rice that some other people mentioned, although instead of dumping it down the drain, we added much more stock and it ended up really good.
Wow, Troy, no need to be rude! I liked the flavor and ease of this bisque, but I would agree that it needs less rice. Thanks for a good base recipe!
This either had way too much rice, or way too little liquid. I followed the instructions exactly as they were written and it was the consistency of baby food. Very disappointing considering the price of crab.
$50 down the drain. That is the worst recipe for bisque we have ever tasted. The flaw is in adding rice. We literally just dumped it down the drain. Thanks for ruining our New Years Eve dinner with this poor excuse of a recipe.
I made it this evening – it’s delicious!!! Great recipe! Also pinned it!
I made it, and it didn’t turn out that good. I’m not sure if this soup really needs as much as one whole cup of rice and whether the rice needs to be blended. I followed the recipe to the letter, and what I got didn’t resemble soup at all. It was so thick, it looked almost like groats! I had to add three cups of stock (luckily, I’d made more than I needed) to achieve a somewhat soup-like consistency. The taste was more or less all right.
Totally agree! too much rice. I will make it again but only 1/3 cup rice. Had to add chicken broth because I used all the seafood stock.i would try it again sometime.
Have loved every recipe on your site, except for this one and I love bisque. Made it exact to recipe but it was pasty and thick, not like any bisque I’ve had. I think the blending of the rice made it really thick and starchy. I also missed the sherry added at the end to give it that true bisque flavor. But, anything with crab and cream can’t be all bad :-)
I’m guessing that 1 cup of rice is a typo. The original recipe that she links to calls for 1/4 cup of rice, which is what I used when I made this recipe tonight. The 1/4 cup of rice made for a wonderfully thick bisque instead of the baby food consistency that people experienced when they used a full cup. The picture of the bisque that she made here appears to have either less than a cup of rice or way more seafood stock, it’s very similar to the thickness of the bisque I made. A full cup of rice would have made it too thick and mushy.
The creme texture of this bisque is seems yummy! I’m gonna try this soon.
Does this bisque freeze and reheat well? I love to make soups in big batches and freeze small portions for lunch!
Hi Andrea, Yes! I actually froze this before leaving on vacation :)
Is that 1 cup cooked or raw rice?
Raw.
I’ve never been much of a seafood person, but I’m trying to learn to appreciate it more. I find crab to be a good middle ground, which means I must make this bisque! I bet my family would adore me if I did!
I love any bisques!! Yours looks awesome!
serious swoon over this… making me hungry just reading the ingredients! trying immediately….!
xx
sara | http://www.late-afternoons.com |
I’ve never made crab bisque, but this looks so quick and delicious! And pretty, too :)
Definitely a memorable soup and I agree that it is a warm, creamy soup that you can eat in the summer when crab is in season. My husband’s family is from Maryland and I have had some wonderful crab bisque’s before but have never had a good recipe to make it myself. I want to try this right now. Sounds like a perfect recipe.
Wow – that is a beautiful bowl of soup! Quick and easy and delicious? Bonus!
I’ve never made crab bisque, only lobster bisque, from the Silver Palate cookbook where you make your own stock from lobster shells. I definitely think of it as a winter soup because I usually make it on new year’s day after a lobster feast we have had for the eve. Making the stock is actually really fun – with flaming the pan, etc., it makes you feel like you a Julia Child! But I digress, where do you buy seafood stock? I don’t remember seeing it at my supermarket. Trader Joe’s?
Hi Lynne, I’ll have to check out that lobster bisque recipe! I bought the seafood stock at my grocery store, but it’s an enormous store that carries a lot of specialty items.
Sounds wonderful! My husband is crazy for crab! Pinned! Thank you!
Yummy!
Can’t wait to try this! I love lobster bisque… just thought it would take forever to make.
I love how creamy this is. I just want to curl up with it on a Fall evening! :)
So creamy and perfect — I want a bowl of this for breakfast!! (can you believe I’ve never had Crab Bisque? Whomp Whomp – sad face)
I have only ever made lobster bisque, but your crab bisque looks so good! I love the color of this soup and how easy it is! YUM!
Yum! I have not had this in ages as I though it was too hard to make, but your recipe is simple and looks great. Pass me a loaf of bread please and bowl of this goodness!
I love crab bisque!! This looks so amazing!
Yum… this looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
It looks great!
I love that this can be made in less than an hour!
Im going to try the Crab Bisque I love seafood, and I also like to try my cooking skills, since I’ve been cooking for quite some years! and I do enjoy different seasonings, dishes, and ideas!
MaryJane Hendrix
That is the prettiest crab bisque! I just love the color and I bet the flavor is amazing. And wine, tomato paste and heavy cream is always a win :)