Skip to main content

Smoky Crab Bisque

I was in need of a quick mid-week dinner and had a pound of crab claw meat. And, given that the chill of autumn is descending on the central coast of California, I opted to make soup! This is remarkably simple, but tastes decadent.


Ingredients
  • 1 T butter
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1/2 C bacon, diced
  • 1/2 C onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  • 1/2 C diced bell peppers (I used a mixture of yellow and red peppers)
  • 1/4 C gluten-free flour
  • 6 C stock (I used a mixture of fish and chicken stock because that's what I had)
  • 2 C diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 C fresh tomato sauce
  • 1 to 2 t smoked paprika
  • 1-1/2 C organic heavy cream
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound fresh, cooked crab meat + more for garnish
  • 1/4 C dry white wine
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • 3 to 4 T fresh parsley, minced
  • bread for serving (gluten-free, if needed)


Procedure
In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter in a splash of olive oil. Add bacon and cook until the fat is rendered, but the bacon is not yet crisped. Add the onions, garlic, and bell peppers. Sauté until softened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in 1 C of broth, whisking to prevent clumping. Pour in the remaining broth, whisking to incorporate.

Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The soup should be nicely thickened. Stir in the tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, and smoked paprika. Let that simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in the cream and add the crab. Cook until warmed through.

Pour in the wine and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste, adjusting salt and pepper as needed. Add some cayenne, if desired. Just before serving, stir in fresh parsley.

To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls. Float a toasted slice of bread in the bowl and garnish with more crab meat.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce