Try this one Cindy. I have been making it for over 25 years. I have tried others but always come back to this one. Not only does it taste great but it doesn't get much easier than this either.

Ann

Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Sherry

Heat cream or milk

Melt butter and saute onion. Let simmer until soft and add crabmeat, egg
yolks or roe. Add flour, paprika, cook 3 to 5 minutes. Do not let flour
brown. Add hot cream/milk and simmer 20 minutes. Add Sherry.

Serve additional sherry at the table for individual taste.

Option.

Whip heavy cream and serve a dollop of cream in each bowl of soup.

Servings: 4

I print this one out when I serve it to guests. The recipe is always requested:

CRAB BISQUE (serves 6-8)
3 TBL butter
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
2 TBL chopped onions
2 TBL chopped carrots
1 can chicken broth
/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lb crabmeat, picked free of shell
Tomato paste
1/4 cup sherry
Parsley to garnish

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Saute mushrooms, onions & carrots until tender.
Add broth, salt & cayenne. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat & simmer 10 minutes. Pour half of vegetable mixture into blender & process until smooth, being careful not to burn yourself. Repeat with 2nd half of vegetable mixture.
Combine vegetable puree, half-and-half, wine & crab in the saucepan. Add tomato paste until bisque is desired color.
Add sherry & cook until thoroughly heated. Garnish with parsley.~~

SEAFOOD BISQUE

ROUX:
1 stick of butter
1 cup of flour

BISQUE:
2 Tblsp. Olive oil
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
5 oz. Crab meat, flaked
6 oz. Shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced
5 oz. Lobster meat, diced
4 cups milk
2 Tblsp. Tomato paste
5 tsp. seafood base
1 cup heavy whipping cream
White pepper

DIRECTIONS:

First, make the roux. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, set over low heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add carrots, onions, garlic, and bay leaf. Cover and sweat for 5 to 8 minutes (draws out the moisture). Add crab, shrimp, and lobster meat. Cook on medium heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the milk, tomato paste, and seafood base. Bring to a simmer. Add roux to thicken and let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in whipping cream. If bisque is too thick, add more milk. Add white pepper to taste.

Thanks so much - these look great!

Cindy

Ginger and Pat, your recipes look like that crab bisque I have had in restaurants. It's always a little pink from the tomato paste. I've always wanted a good recipe for it. I look forward to trying them both.

Marilyn

Anything with crab in it is good to me!

man--copying and pasting again--these look wonderful! thanx!

Pat.....you say add Roux to thicken?,,,Do you add a little at a time....or add it all....or just add what's needed?
The mention of lobster is what drew me in!!
And.....where do I get seafood base? will bottled clam juice do?
Linda C

Linda - add all of the roux.

I got my seafood base from Penzey's. I've never tried the bottled clam juice, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you try it with the clam juice, please post your results!

Here is a link that might be useful: Penzeys.com

I just had the BEST seafood bisque
and I got the secret to the "pink"
it is 1 tsp cocktail sauce per 2 servings......
and let me tell you.......naw, I don't need to
I know you trust me

Linda in Tennessee

Pappadeaux Crawfish Bisque

Notes:
Recipe in Houston Chronicle.

Ingredients:
3 lb. Crawfish
2 oz Olive Oil
1 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 qt. water
1/2 C. each, chopped: onion & green bell pepper
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
3 C. Whipping Cream
1/2 C. Chopped Tomato
2 oz Brandy (4 Tbsp.)

Preparation:
1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain & cool until crawfish can be handled easily, remove tail & save shells. Refrigerate tail meat.

2. Heat oil in large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika & cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water & bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer 30 minutes.

3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid & add that liquid. Discard shells.

4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream & tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Crab bisque will also be pink if you use roe.

Ann

Yep - Ann hit it. You really need a bit of roe to make it delish and that lovely pink color.

Alexa

Unfortunately, we like to use the Maryland blue crabs for crab bisque and harvesting the females with roe has been prohibited in that state since 1989. I use some Old Bay brand cocktail sauce mixed in for color but it's not as good as the roe used to be.

I know - I know - this is an old posting I am bumping up and I am going to share a bisque to buy - if you can't get around to making it ....of course, I have copied the recipes here because I would like to have the know how .........

Lobster Bisque - at Costco - now, I am a Left Coaster - and although I spent a summer in Maine, it doesn't mean I know a she crab from a periwinkle, but I think this tastes mighty righteous!

Thanks for the info on how to do it!!!!

grins

Vicki

What's the brand? No Costco here but a couple other big box stores. Is it frozen?

It just goes to show how egocentric I can be sometimes - forgetting that MY universe isn't UNIVERSAL ...my apologies ..... here is the website. They come packaged in two plastic tubs.......at least at the big C store. Maybe they are marketed in single tubs elsewhere.......it isn't frozen, just refrigerated.

HTH

Vicki

Here is a link that might be useful: The source of the bisque

Thanks! I'll keep an eye out.

If I have leftover crab or lobster, I sometimes make a pack of Knorr Newburg sauce mix with all milk instead of the milk and water called for on the package. I add about 3/4 to one cup of extra milk and some sherry and the seafood. It makes a good 10-minute after work dinner for one or two.