This Seafood Bisque recipe is simple yet still packed with heaps of flavor! It has the perfect combination of spice and creaminess to leave you satisfied!!
This seafood bisque is freaking amazing. I legit tasted it and then sighed with happiness. Even though I just adapted my own Lobster Bisque recipe, I swear that this one was just divine.
It’s perfect. SO smooth and creamy, a little spice and that wonderful flavor of crab and shrimp. Bisque is one of those dishes that tastes so utterly decadent and flavorful that you think “this must take forever and have an ingredient list a mile long.”
Well, we all know that’s not how I roll. This has (I think) an entirely reasonable ingredient list (ten, including garnish) and takes about thirty minutes to make. No joke. And most of that is passive simmering time. Theres a lot of throwing things into the pot and letting the flavors stew together. The real workhorse here is your blender. After simmering for a bit, you pour it into a blender, turn it to “soup mode,” and let that baby run. Seriously, that’s all it is. This would be perfect for cold winter’s nights or a holiday dinner!
Now let’s revisit that whole “pour it into a blender thing.”
If you want to find a sect of people that are crazily passionate about a piece of kitchen equipment, talk to someone that owns a Vitamix. I can guarantee that you won’t find anyone with a complaint. This thing is amazing. It makes hot soups. It makes nut butters. Makes the world’s best smoothies and milkshakes. It makes ice cream. Makes salsas. It makes great salad dressings. And it’s worth every penny.
Want one? Great news. I’m giving one away, along with:
Ladle –A good ladle that will last is a key kitchen gadget to own. Grab this[easyazon_link identifier=”B003L0OOVW” locale=”US” tag=”gogogogo03-20″]Nylon Ladle[/easyazon_link] to add to your kitchen utensils!
Soup bowls –These soup bowls are perfect for eating soup in and even come in four different colors! Get your[easyazon_link identifier=”B01FGDQ6WG” locale=”US” tag=”gogogogo03-20″]Ceramic Soup Bowls[/easyazon_link] here.
Blender –I recommend using a blender to puree the soup until it’s smooth. This[easyazon_link identifier=”B013M4VV94″ locale=”US” tag=”gogogogo03-20″]Vitamix Blender[/easyazon_link] should do the trick and it even has five pre-programmed settings.
In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the seafood stock, then the cream while whisking. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Add in the shrimp and half of the crab meat, tobasco and paprika; simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add in the remaining crab meat. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with fresh chives, and serve.
If you enjoyed this Seafood Bisque recipe, check out these:
Seafood Paella
Lobster Bisque
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Welcome to Go Go Go Gourmet! Here you'll find recipes that are created from everyday, easy-to-find basic ingredients and put together with minimal time and energy. My motto? Less effort. More taste. Read more...
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Cathy Bouldrysays
Oh my. This Vitamix would be such an answer to prayers and a dream come true. I had a Vitamix for 20 years until it finally bit the dust… I am lost without it!!! To have this in the kitchen again would help so much in both cooking and a healthier lifestyle!! Thank you so much for the opportunity to even enter!!! Fingers and toes crossed! 😉 Have a blessed Christmas and New Years! graciously,
A bisque is a smooth, creamy French style of soup, traditionally made from crustaceans like lobster, crab or crayfish. It should include a stock made from the shells, a large amount of cream, and a thickening agent made from either finely-ground shells or rice.
Here's what you can generally expect in a well-made bisque: Lobster Shells — The core flavoring ingredient (shrimp and other crustaceans can work too). Most bisques do not call for the meat itself, just the shells. Seasoning — Primarily based around whole vegetables, like celery, carrots, onions, and tomatoes.
Most modern bisques are thickened using rice. Some cook the rice in the broth and strain it out later, using only the left-behind rice starch to thicken the soup. Others puree the rice into the soup to thicken it. Almost all bisques are finished with hot cream for a velvety texture.
In American recipes, using a combination of lobster shells, bodies, claw meat, and tail meat provides the bisque its telltale taste and feel. Depending on the recipe, you will remove the lobster from the body, dice it, and add the chopped lobster meat to the broth and develop flavors that way.
A bisque is a cream soup, but a cream soup isn't always a bisque. To be a bisque the soup has to be made with a shellfish stock and will often include pieces of shellfish. Quite simply, no shellfish, no bisque.
Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth (coulis) of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish. The French bisque is one of the most popular seafood soups around the world.
Traditionally bisques are soups typicallly made with shellfish cooked in a flavored liquid then pureed. Over time the shellfish requirement has loosened and any thick soup – even those without it – are sometimes referred to as bisques. Bisques are known for their thick, creamy texture and rich flavor.
Sautéed shrimp shells impart a sweet complexity to the foundation of this deeply flavorful bisque. White rice is slowly simmered in the aromatic broth and then pureed to give the soup body and a velvety consistency, without masking the flavor of succulent shrimp.
The addition of alcohol is a classic flavoring method but can provide more than just flavor. White wine, brandy or sherry can be used and are all excellent liquids for deglazing. This ensures every bit of flavor is cooked into the soup as opposed to being stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Tomato – A fresh tomato will help add color and flavor to this soup. Tomato Paste – You will need tomato paste to add flavor, color, richness, and body to the bisque. Garlic – A few cloves go a long way to enhancing this flavor.
The main characteristic of a bisque is that it is smooth and has a velvety texture. Most recipes will include a wine and cream to give it its signature flavor and texture. But it's not merely the choice of ingredient that makes bisque different from other types of soups.
The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.
Bisque is traditionally thickened at the end of cooking with both cream and cooked rice. The latter, when blended in, adds a smooth, starchy thickness without introducing much flavor of its own.
The bisque should be thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon but not so thick that it is clearly thickened with a slurry mixture and develops a weird gelatinous consistency. Instead of using a slurry or roux base I cook rice in the broth and blend it. It should be a silky and luxurious soup – not chunky.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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