Seafood Bisque

You’ll love this simple to make, rich, creamy Seafood Bisque; the warm, enticing taste is perfect for a hearty lunch or light dinner; combining seafood favorites such as shrimp, crab, mussels, and bottleneck clams with a rich, deliciously creamy base that’s perfectly seasoned.

Can you believe that Bisque dates back to the 17th century? Culinary historians confirm that the first bisque recipes even included the pulverized shells of the featured crustaceans.  Bisque descended from pottage, which is a very thick soup mixture that resembles a puree. Most of all, the old Bisque recipes call for crayfish or rock lobster.

 

What exactly is Bisque? Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly-seasoned soup of French origin, classically made from a strained broth of the featured crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, crab, shrimp, or crayfish.

 

 

 

What you will need to make Seafood Bisque

• One stick unsalted butter

• Two stalks celery, finely diced

• One large onion, minced

• One and 1/2 pounds lump crab meat

• One pound small crab claws, for serving

• One pound shrimp cleaned shells & removed

• Twenty Four mussels, cleaned

• Twenty four littleneck clams, cleaned

• Five cups half and half cream

• Four cups of seafood stock or vegetable broth

• One cup white wine (optional)

• One teaspoon garlic

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, for serving

• One lemon for juicing

• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed

• Kosher salt to taste

• Two teaspoons white pepper

 

 

Tips on buying fresh seafood

1. Only purchase open clams and mussels Clams or mussels are a delicious seafood splurge that is often eaten as an appetizer. Both should be purchased while still alive, which assures the best quality of possible freshness. You can tell if a mussel or clam is still alive if the shell is still closed. If you happen to tap an open clam or mussel and it closes its lid, then it’s still alive.

2. After Clams or Mussels are purchased, it’s imperative to store them on ice right away. Between 34 and 40 degrees, Fahrenheit is the best temperature.

3. It is best to buy crab while it’s still alive, as the meat spoils reasonably quickly. The freshest crabs are the ones with leg movement.

4. Always smell the seafood If you’re buying crabs, mussels, clams, oysters, or anything else aquatic, you can and should always rely on your sense of smell.  Not only do clams and mussels smell vaguely sweet, but the same can be said for most other forms of shellfish. They should smell like a hint f the sea. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch, 2021-2013 unauthorized use and/or duplication of content/ material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch with proper and specific direction to the original content.

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