Equipment
Ingredients
Roux
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 60 g all-purpose flour
Aromatics
- 150 g yellow onion, diced
- 100 g celery, diced
- 100 g carrot, diced
- 15 g garlic, minced
- 30 g tomato paste
Liquids & Seasoning
- 60 ml dry sherry
- 700 ml seafood stock, warmed
- 180 ml heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 fresh thyme
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g white pepper
- 1 g cayenne pepper
Crab
- 250 g lump crab meat, picked over for shells
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 464 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbohydrates
- 25 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1001 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 18 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 134 mg
- Potassium
- 836 mg
- Calcium
- 140 mg
- Iron
- 1.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 58 mg
- Phosphorus
- 329 mg
- Zinc
- 2.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 520 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 12 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 14 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 6.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.19 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.32 mg
- Niacin
- 4.5 mg
- Folate
- 59 mcg
- Water
- 347 g
- Alcohol
- 2 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Dice the onion, celery, and carrot into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking and seamless blending later.
Melt the unsalted butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Whisk in the all-purpose flour and cook continuously until it takes on a light golden blonde color and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.
Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot to the blonde roux. Stir with a wooden spoon and sauté until the vegetables soften and become translucent, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes until the tomato paste deepens to a rich rust color, stirring frequently.
Pour in the dry sherry to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Allow the liquid to reduce until nearly dry, about 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the warmed seafood stock to prevent lumps from forming in the roux base. Add the fresh thyme sprigs. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes to develop the flavor.
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup base directly in the pot until completely smooth and velvety.
Keep the heat on low. Stir in the heavy cream, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt. Fold in the lump crab meat. Gently heat for 5 minutes until the crab reaches a safe internal temperature of 74°C/165°F. Do not let the soup boil, or the cream may curdle.
Taste the bisque and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Ladle into warm bowls and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- For the most vibrant seafood flavor, use a high-quality homemade shellfish stock made from roasted crab, lobster, or shrimp shells.
- Always pick through lump crab meat carefully before adding it to the soup. Rogue shell fragments will disrupt the luxurious texture and are unpleasant to bite into.
- Cooking the flour to a blonde stage removes the raw flour taste and adds a toasted, nutty depth essential for a classic bisque without muddying the final color.
- White pepper is preferred here to maintain the elegant, creamy aesthetic of the bisque without adding black specks.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Reheat very gently to avoid separating the cream or overcooking the crab.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently. Do not allow it to boil.
Troubleshooting
Lumpy soup base
Cause: Cold stock was added too quickly to the hot roux
Fix: Blend the soup base thoroughly with the immersion blender before adding the crab meat
Prevention: Warm the stock before adding, and whisk it in gradually, ensuring each addition is fully smooth before adding more
Curdled or grainy texture
Cause: The soup was allowed to boil vigorously after the heavy cream was added
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Always reduce the heat to low before adding dairy and monitor closely to prevent boiling
Cultural Context
Originating in France, the term bisque traditionally refers to a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup based on a strained broth of crustaceans. While historically used as a method to extract maximum flavor from imperfect shells, it has evolved into a hallmark of fine dining seafood preparations worldwide.
