Name: Crab Bisque
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion, quartered; 1 stalk celery cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 bay leaf; 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns; 1 clove garlic, crushed; handful fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley; 1 cup white wine; 6 L water; 1 Dungeness crab, about 2 ½ pounds; 2 Tbsp olive oil; crab shells, from above; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped; 1 celery stalk, finely chopped; ½ fennel bulb, finely chopped; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 star anise pod; 2 sprigs thyme; 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped; 1 Tbsp tomato paste; ½ cup cognac; ¾ cup white wine; 4 cup fish stock; ½ cup whipping (35%)cream; coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper; Reserved crab meat, from above; 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives

YIELDS

4 servings

Bisque is a thick, rich soup usually consisting of puréed seafood (sometimes fowl or vegetables) and cream. You can buy fresh or frozen, pre-cooked Dungeness crab at your local fishmonger or upscale food market.Michael Fagan from Food & Drink magazine recommends serving the following wines with this dish: Hillebrand Trius Brut or King Estate Pinot Gris 2001.

Ingredients

Crab

Tbsp olive oil

small onion, quartered

stalk celery cut into 1-inch pieces

bay leaf

Tbsp whole peppercorns

clove garlic, crushed

handful fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

cup white wine

L water

Dungeness crab, about 2 ½ pounds

Bisque

Tbsp olive oil

crab shells, from above

small onion, finely chopped

carrot, peeled and finely chopped

celery stalk, finely chopped

fennel bulb, finely chopped

clove garlic, crushed

star anise pod

sprigs thyme

ripe tomatoes, chopped

Tbsp tomato paste

cup cognac

cup white wine

cup fish stock

cup whipping (35%)cream

coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Assembly

Reserved crab meat, from above

Tbsp finely chopped chives

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Directions

Step 1

In a large stockpot heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onions, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic and parsley

Step 2

Sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3

Add the white wine and water and bring to a boil.

Step 4

Slide the crab into the boiling liquid and cooking at boiling for 10 minutes.

Step 5

Remove the crab from the boiling liquid with tongs and plunge it into a large bowl of ice water to stop the crab from overcooking so it is easy to work with.

Step 6

Discard the cooking liquid.

Step 7

Crack the crab and remove all the meat you can.

Step 8

Cover the crab meat with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 9

Reserve the crab shells to make the bisque.

Step 10

In a medium stockpot heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the crab shells, chopped vegetables, garlic, star anise and thyme sprigs.

Step 11

Sauté for 4 to 6 minutes and stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste.

Step 12

Cook for 1 minute longer

Step 13

Deglaze the pan with the white wine and the cognac and simmer for about 6 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds.

Step 14

Add the fish stock and bring to a boil.

Step 15

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally skimming the top for impurities.

Step 16

Strain the liquid into a clean medium saucepan, pressing down on the solids with a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible.

Step 17

Discard the solids.

Step 18

Bring the bisque to a boil on medium-high heat.

Step 19

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, skimming the top occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to about 3 1/4 cups.

Step 20

Stir in the cream, bring to a simmer and check the seasoning.

Step 21

Divide the crab meat among 4 bowls and top with the bisque.

Step 22

Garnish with chives and serve.

Rate Recipe

My rating for Crab Bisque

Crab Bisque