Blue Crab Bisque Recipes

BLUE CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• Crabs: Preheat oven to 425 F. Place crabs on a roasting pan and bake in the oven about 30 minutes, until deep red and slightly browned. In a stockpot set over medium heat, add olive oil and roasted crabs, breaking them up with a wooden spoon as they cook, 5 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery (the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking) and stir, cooking just till the vegetables soften, 5 minutes.
• Stock: Add wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Turn heat to high and cook 6-8 minutes, until the wine has nearly evaporated. Add tomato paste and water. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cover and simmer, 45 minutes.
• Bisque: Remove the crab shells from the stock and discard. (If you miss a couple small pieces of shell, don't worry: they'll get strained out later.) Ladle the stock into the blender, then add the juice of half a lemon and ¾ cup bread cubes. Season with a big pinch of salt and a small pinch of pepper. Cover and let sit so the bread can absorb some of the liquid, 30-60 seconds. Blend on low speed (to avoid splattering hot liquid) for 30 seconds. As the soup blends, turn to high to emulsify, 1 more minute. Taste to adjust for seasoning and texture-the soup should coat the back of a spoon. Add remaining bread, small pinches of salt and pepper, and blend on high to further thicken and emulsify, 1½ more minutes. Taste again for seasoning, then strain through a chinois to remove any small shell pieces, using the back of a ladle to push the soup through into a bowl.
• Assembly: Ladle bisque into individual serving bowls. Chop chives into ½-inch lengths (you should have about a ½ cup total). Garnish each bowl with crab meat and chives. Serve immediately.

BLUE CRAB BEIGNETS

Steps:

• Beignet batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk baking powder, cornstarch, salt, and flour to combine. Gradually whisk in beer and continue stirring until no lumps remain and the batter yields a ribbony texture. Set aside.
• Crab filling: In a bowl, mix mascarpone, chives, and shallot until thoroughly combined. Season with salt to taste. Fold in the crab meat, separating without breaking up the individual lumps, and gently mix just to combine. Chill for 10-15 minutes. (In the meantime, prepare the aioli: see Step 4 for instructions.)
• Frying the beignets, part 1: Fill a heavy-bottomed cast-iron pot ¾ full with peanut oil (about 3 cups) and heat oil to 375 F. Roll 1-1½ tablespoon-sized balls of the crab mixture and use a spoon to drop them on top of the beer batter. Make sure the oil is ready by dropping in a few beads of batter to see if they fry.
• Frying the beignets, part 2: When the oil is ready, gently roll the crab balls in the batter to coat completely; leaving holes will cause the mascarpone to melt out. Lift the balls from the batter and let them slide off the spoon into the oil. Fry until crisp and deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. (You may have to fry in batches.) As you fry, continually adjust the heat to keep the temperature at 375 F.When the beignets are done, use the spider strainer to place them on paper towels to drain. Prepare a serving plate with a layer of aioli; place beignets on the aioli, sprinkle with flaky salt, and serve with lemon slices. Aioli recipe: Roughly chop garlic clove on cutting board; add ½ tablespoon salt and use the back of a knife to repeatedly press the garlic and salt together to make a paste. Place in a bowl along with a squeeze of lemon and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Whisk in 2 egg yolks, then slowly drizzle in a ½ cup olive oil, whisking the entire time until emulsified and creamy. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

CREAMY SHRIMP AND CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter over a low heat. Stir in flour, salt, white pepper, bouillon granules, and onion. Blend 3/4 cup half-and-half cream into the mixture. Mix in shrimp and crab meat. Turn the temperature to medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
• Blend the remaining half-and-half cream and wine into the mixture. Serve and enjoy!

CRABMEAT BISQUE MADE EASY

Steps:

• Spray a stockpot with cooking spray.
• Melt butter in the prepared stockpot over medium heat; cook and stir celery, onion, paprika, seafood seasoning, thyme, salt, and white pepper until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk flour into vegetable mixture until smooth and dissolved. Pour seafood stock over vegetable mixture.
• Mix half-and-half, cream, and milk into broth mixture; decrease heat and simmer until bisque is thickened, about 15 minutes. Add crabmeat and simmer bisque until crabmeat is heated through, about 5 minutes more.

CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Stir in the bouillon, cream, crab, mushrooms, basil, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Season to taste with remaining Creole seasoning and pepper if desired.

LAZY CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• Mix all the above ingredients; heat and serve.

CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium sized pot (non stick), add flour, salt and pepper - as though you were making a rue (blonde rue). Allow flour to melt into the butter and stir constantly until the flour is a blonde rue.
• Combine rue with Tomato Paste and slowly add the chicken stock whisking as you go. Once this has come to a moderate heat add marsala and cream - not together or you will cruddle - if you want a dryer taste use a dry sherry instead.
• Finally add your star ingredient - Crab and allow to come full heat slowly and serve with a wedge of crusty bread and salad for a full meal or just by itself for a great intro to a wonderful dinner.

CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• If using live crabs, add to pot of boiling water using tongs. Cover pot and cook over high heat until crab shells are red, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain crabs in a colander.
• Put crabs (cooked or frozen uncooked) into a large metal roasting pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and pound shells with meat pounder to crush (including claws).
• Heat butter and oil in same pot over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic with bay leaf, thyme, clove, peppercorns, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add Cognac, wine, and crushed crabs and bring to a boil. Add broth and water and return to a boil. Skim foam, then simmer, covered, stirring and skimming occasionally, 1 hour.
• Put colander in a large bowl, then drain crab broth, reserving solids for crab butter (if making). Transfer broth to a medium saucepan.
• Ladle out 2 cups broth and transfer to a 1-quart saucepan. Add rice and simmer, covered, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes (not all of liquid will be absorbed).
• Blend together rice with cooking liquid and 1 cup more crab broth in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then add to remaining broth in medium saucepan.
• Just before serving, reheat bisque over medium heat until hot, then stir in tarragon, lemon juice, cayenne, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Ladle bisque into bowls and spoon a little crabmeat into center, then drizzle with some of crab butter (if making).