This Creamy Crab Bisque recipe is made with lump crab meat, vegetables, cream, and the best combination of herbs and spices. The ingredients are simmered together to create a rich and indulgent soup that is then pureed to create a smooth and silky texture everyone will love.
Key Ingredients
- Crab Meat
- Butter
- Flour
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
- Stock
- Milk/Heavy Cream
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Hot Sauce
- Old Bay Seasoning
What is Crab Bisque
Crab bisque is a creamy soup that is typically made with crab meat, vegetables, cream, and a variety of herbs and spices. The ingredients are simmered together to create a flavorful broth, which is then pureed to create a smooth and silky texture.
It is a rich and indulgent soup that is often served as a starter or appetizer in upscale restaurants.
The Difference Between Bisque and Soup
Bisques are made to be smooth, thick, and with lots of cream. They are usually pureed to help thicken them up and smooth them out. Most bisques are made with seafood and often wine.
Soup is a more general term that can refer to a wide variety of brothy or creamy dishes made with vegetables, meat, or grains. Soups can be smooth or chunky, depending on the ingredients and cooking method, and they can be served hot or cold.
Seafood/Crab Stock
Seafood stock is used in the dish because it provides a rich and flavorful base for the soup that enhances the natural sweetness of the crab meat. It also complements the richness of the cream and butter in the soup.
My Homemade Seafood Stock recipe is made by simmering seafood (usually the shells of shrimp, lobster, or crab) along with aromatics such as carrots, celery, and herbs in water. If using crab shells the broth is filled with crab flavor.
The stock adds a depth of flavor that would be difficult to achieve using plain water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock. I highly recommend using crab stock or seafood stock in the recipe. They can be difficult to find in stores.
What Type of Crab to Use
Here are some options for what to use:
- Blue crabs are a popular choice for crab bisque because they have a sweet and delicate flavor that pairs well with creamy and savory broth. They are also readily available in many parts of the United States, particularly along the East Coast.
- Dungeness crabs, which are native to the West Coast of the United States, have a slightly more robust flavor than blue crabs and are known for their meaty claws and legs.
- King crabs are harvested from the waters of Alaska and Russia, have a sweet and succulent flavor, and are known for their large, meaty legs.
I like to use jumbo lump crab meat which can come from a variety of species, including blue crabs, Dungeness crabs, and king crabs. The meat comes from the largest muscles in a crab’s body, located in the back swimming legs. These muscles contain large, firm pieces of meat and are considered to be the highest quality and most luxurious part of the crab.
It’s typically sold in large, whole pieces that can be easily broken up and used in a variety of dishes, including crab cakes, salads, and dips. It has a delicate and sweet flavor and a firm texture that holds up well in cooking.
How to Make Creamy Crab Bisque
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot on medium heat and add butter.
- When melted, add in flour. This will create a roux.
- Add celery, onions, and carrots to the roux and stir.
- Add garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in seafood stock, heavy cream, milk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste and stir. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
- Use an immersion hand blender to puree and smooth out the soup. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup to a high-powered blender.
- Blend the soup until creamy and smooth. Add the crab meat to the pot.
How to Get it Creamy
You will need to use an immersion hand blender or a high-powered blender to smooth out the soup to help it thicken it up. This is what really makes the dish!
Worcestershire Sauce
When used in crab dishes, Worcestershire sauce can help to enhance the natural sweetness of the crab meat while also adding a subtle tang. It can be added to crab cakes, crab dips, or crab bisque to add complexity and depth to the dish.
Worcestershire sauce is made from a combination of ingredients including vinegar, molasses, garlic, tamarind, and various spices. The sauce is fermented for several months, which gives it a unique savory flavor.
Tomato Based Soup
Some crab bisques are served with tomato flavor, similar to some lobster bisque recipes. This version does not have tomato flavor, but feel free to add 15oz of diced tomatoes (when adding the broth) if you wish.
How to Substitute Heavy Cream
You can substitute cream using any milk or half and half, but the consistency will not be the same. Milk and half and half are thinner in texture. Expect the soup to be thinner and less rich. Heavy cream is commonly used in bisque recipes to give the soup a rich and creamy texture.
Sherry
Sherry is often added to crab bisque to enhance its flavor and add complexity to the dish. Sherry is a fortified wine that is made by adding brandy to wine during the fermentation process. It has a distinctive flavor that is slightly sweet and nutty.
When added to here, sherry helps to balance the sweetness of the crab meat and adds a subtle nutty flavor that complements the richness of the cream and butter in the soup.
Feel free to add 1/2 cup to the recipe if you wish.
Substitutions and Add-Ins
- Shrimp
- Lobster
- Bacon
- Parsley
- Chives
- Croutons
- Shredded Cheese
- Toasted Nuts
How to Store
Leftover bisque can be stored tightly covered and sealed in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze it, but keep in mind dairy and cream-based soups separate when frozen and reheated. The texture and flavor may change slightly.
What to Serve with Crab Bisque
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Scallops and Pasta
More Crab Recipes
Seafood Boil in a Bag
Grilled King Crab Legs
Grilled Snow Crab Legs
Smoked Lobster Tail
Smoked Crab Legs
Crab Quiche
Crab Cake Sandwich
Creamy Crab Bisque
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves Minced
- 2 cups Seafood Stock Vegetable or chicken stock or broth will also work.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk I use 2%.
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce It does not make the bisque spicy, but omit if you wish.
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound lump crab meat
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot on medium heat and add the butter.4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- When melted, add the flour in stages in stir. You add it in stages to avoid clumping. This will create a roux.4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Add the celery, onions, and carrots to the roux and stir. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped onions
- Add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant.3 garlic cloves
- Pour in the seafood stock, heavy cream, milk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste and stir. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.2 cups Seafood Stock, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce, 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
- Use an immersion hand blender to puree and smooth out the soup. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup to a high powered blender. Be careful, it’s hot.
- Blend the soup until creamy and smooth. Add the crab meat to the pot. I like to add half of the crab meat here. Stir and cook for a few minutes until fully combined and warm.1 pound lump crab meat
- Serve the soup and top the servings with the additional remaining crab meat.
Notes
- If you don’t use a seafood stock, the bisque will not have a lot of seafood flavor. You can substitute any broth, expect the bisque to taste like what you used to substitute.
- 1 pound of crab meat will create a thick bisque filled with crab. Feel free to use less, if desired.
- Skim milk is extremely thin and will thin out the soup.
- You can substitute cream using any milk or half and half, but the consistency will not be the same. Milk and half and half are thinner in texture. Expect the soup to be thinner and less rich. Heavy cream is commonly used in bisque recipes to give the soup a rich and creamy texture.
- Feel free to add 1/2 cup of sherry to the recipe if you wish.
- If you prefer a tomato based bisque, add 15oz canned tomatoes when adding the broth.
