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crab bisque in a white bowl with lump crab meat and flour
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Creamy Crab Bisque

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.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword crab bisque, crab soup, creamy crab bisque, Maryland crab bisque
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Calories 236kcal
Author Brandi Crawford

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup chopped carrots
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ½ 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
  • ½ 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.
    ½ cup chopped carrots, ½ cup chopped celery, ½ 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, ½ 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 ½ cup of sherry to the recipe if you wish.
  • If you prefer a tomato based bisque, add 15oz canned tomatoes when adding the broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g