This is about a 2.5 hour recipe. Don't let the long list of ingredients freak you out - homemade soup is more about pouring ingredients into the pot rather than cooking. It's not difficult to prepare, promise!
Ingredients, bisque:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced or - if they are more than a nickel's width - chop the slices for smaller pieces)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) tomato paste
4 cups seafood stock
1 cup water
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes (I used roasted, and drained them)
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup brandy
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour (I used gluten-free)
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb cooked peeled/deveined/no-tail shrimp, chopped
1 1/2 cup crab (I used 3/4 cup of the leftover deshelled crab leg meat from the deli, used in the crab topping; and 3/4 cup canned crabmeat, drained)
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Ingredients, crab topping:
1 cup fresh crab meat (I used deshelled crab leg meat from the deli)
Juice from 1/2 of a fresh lemon
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons remoulade sauce (basically a fancy mayo you can find in the grocery aisle along with mayo or in the seafood section - in a jar or squeeze bottle)
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with the oil and butter. Add your leeks and garlic, and stir in the salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes until leeks are soft. Put the mixture into your crockpot.
- Into the crockpot add the tomato paste, stock, water, tomatoes, Old Bay seasoning and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Add your brandy to the empty, hot skillet over medium heat. Slowly whisk in your flour until combined into a smooth paste. Cook for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol.
- Stir the brandy mixture into the crockpot, along with the stock. Add in salt and pepper.
Make the Crab Topping - WHILE THE BISQUE COOKS
- Chop the crab meat, if fresh (or drain the canned crab meat). Combine one cup of the crab with lemon juice, chopped parsley, remoulade and salt/pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate until serving.
Cooking:
- Let the bisque cook in the crockpot for 2 hours on high. Taste it and adjust as needed - more red pepper, more salt or pepper as you wish.
- After 2 hours in the crockpot, stir in the shrimp, cream, 1 cup crab, and parsley and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Keep warm until you are ready to serve. If you'd like it less thick, add more cream.
Serve:
Ladle the bisque into a bowl and top with the cold crab topping. Sprinkle with more chopped parsley, to make it pretty. You could also add croutons, or a side of crusty bread. Focaccia or baguette are nice choices.
A Little Backstory:
I feel like I've failed you, since we've moved to the urban loft in the big city - we have so many spectacular Minneapolis restaurants in walking distance, it's easy not to cook at home. We even have one of the best seafood places on the next block. But there's something extra special, impressive and productive about making it yourself, especially when the meal is easier than it looks. This would be a great dish to serve a date, dinner party or the boss -- "are we having soup?" they'll ask, and you'll casually wave a dismissive hand and say "just a little crab bisque I whipped up." For extra fancy, you could replace the crab with lobster.
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