Seafood Bisque (Printer-friendly)
Silky smooth French soup brimming with shrimp, scallops, and lump crab in a richly seasoned cream broth.
# What You'll Need:
→ Seafood
01 - 7 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 5 oz scallops
03 - 5 oz lump crab meat
→ Aromatics
04 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
06 - 1 small carrot, finely chopped
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
→ Liquids
08 - 1/4 cup dry white wine
09 - 4 cups seafood or fish stock
10 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
11 - 1 tbsp tomato paste
→ Seasonings
12 - 2 tbsp butter
13 - 2 tbsp olive oil
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
16 - 1 tsp paprika
17 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ To Finish
18 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
19 - 1 tbsp fresh chives or parsley, finely chopped
# Directions:
01 - Melt butter with olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are soft and fragrant, approximately 4–5 minutes.
02 - Stir in tomato paste, cayenne pepper, paprika, and bay leaf. Continue cooking for 2 minutes to develop flavors.
03 - Pour in white wine and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
04 - Add seafood or fish stock and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
05 - Add shrimp and scallops to the simmering broth. Cook until just opaque, 3–4 minutes. Remove shrimp and scallops, chop coarsely, and set aside.
06 - Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth. Alternatively, process in batches using a standard blender.
07 - Return soup to the pot. Stir in heavy cream, lemon juice, and reserved seafood including shrimp, scallops, and crab meat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Ladle hot bisque into bowls and garnish with fresh chives or parsley.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The restaurant quality texture comes from a simple immersion blender trick I stumbled upon after years of making chunky seafood stews
- It transforms ordinary Wednesday seafood into something that makes guests ask for the recipe before theyve even finished their bowl
02 -
- Overcooking the seafood makes it rubbery, so remove it the moment it turns opaque
- The soup thickens as it stands, so add a splash more stock or cream when reheating leftovers
03 -
- Sauté shrimp shells in butter before starting the aromatics, then simmer them in the stock for 15 minutes and strain
- Never let the soup come to a rolling boil after adding cream or it will separate