This crab bisque is creamy, silky and irresistible. Start off with a tomato and vegetable stock base, then finished with fresh lump crab meat and cream. Top with oyster crackers or dunk in some homemade sourdough bread.
If there is one thing I cannot get enough of while living in the Pacific Northwest is all the fresh Dungeness crab.
Fresh crab meat can be enjoyed in so many different ways. Hot crab dips, cold crab dip, soups, dipped in garlic butter or added to other dishes such as crab risotto or crab deviled eggs.
Check out all my Dungeness crab recipes.
If you have never cooked or cleaned your own crab, check out my how to process Dungeness crab post. It walks you through step-by-step how to go from fresh whole crab, to bowls of ready to eat crab meat.
Whether fresh or store bought, take your crab and add it to this amazing soup!
Want to take it up another notch? Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich on fresh baked sourdough bread. It's a fancy adult version of tomato soup with grilled cheese!
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Ingredients
Crab Meat: For this recipe it calls for Dungeness crab, but really any crab meat can be used. Even canned. Just make sure it is cooked beforehand.
You can use anywhere from a half to a whole pound of crab. Really depends on how crabby you want it.
Stock: The best broth to use would be a seafood or crab stock. These can be both hard to find and time consuming to make. If you do not have access to either, a quality vegetable stock will work well.
Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is going to give you the creamiest and thickest consistency, but either half and half or whole milk can also be used. It just won't be as thick as it would with heavy cream. Make sure to add it in after the soup is blended, not before.
Get the rest of the ingredients and quantities in the recipe card.
How to Make
Ideally, use a 5qt Dutch Oven to make this soup. But most other soup pots will also work.
Warm up the Dutch Oven with olive oil and butter over medium-low heat.
Add in the onions and sauté until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes.
Add in diced celery and continue to cook until they are very soft.
The veggies need to be really soft and tender before we add the tomato paste.
Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Now, mix in the flour and stir well until everything is coated. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the flour is completely cooked out.
Stir in the tomato paste, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. It will be really thick.
Slowly pour in the vegetable stock. Using a wooden spoon or spatula to stir while the stock is being added.
Add in the bay leaves.
Simmer for 20 minutes. The longer it simmers the deeper the flavor becomes.
Remove both bay leaves. Then, carefully add soup to a blender in batches and run until it is completely smooth.
An immersion blender or food processor can also be used.
Transfer back to the pot over low heat and add in the heavy cream and crab meat.
Cook for 5 minutes or until the soup is brought back up to temp and the crab meat is warm.
Since the crab meat is precooked, it does not need to cook again during this step, just slightly warmed up.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Storage
This soup will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container.
Does it freeze well? Since there is cream added, it will not hold up well to freezing. If you want to freeze, leave out the cream and add when reheating.
Equipment
Dutch Oven or other soup pot: The best pot to make soup in is going to be a heavy bottom pot like a Dutch Oven. It cooks more evenly and keeps a consistent temperature. Other soup pots can also be used. Just make sure it's at least a 5qt or bigger.
Blender, emersion blender or food processor: One of the final steps is to puree the mix. I have personally used all three and have found a high power blender like a BlendTec to be the best option.
What to Serve with Crab Bisque
Sourdough Bread: Crab and creamy soups go great with sourdough bread. Learn how to make a homemade loaf!
Roasted Asparagus: This is a great side dish to serve alongside a bisque.
Frequently Asked Questions
A bisque is a soup that has been pureed into a smooth creamy soup and finished with either cream or milk to make it even creamier.
A crab bisque can be thickened with a simple roux made with butter, flour, stock and some cream.
Yes, imitation crab can be used in this recipe in place of fresh crab.
Other Crab Recipes:
📋Recipe
Crab Bisque
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion - Diced
- 3-4 Celery Stalks
- 2-3 Fresh Garlic Cloves - Minced or Pressed
- 3 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Cup Seafood Stock - Or Vegetable Stock
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 pound Fresh Crab Meat - Can use ½ of a pound as well. Depends on how much crab you want.
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream - Optional, but it does make it extra creamy
Instructions
- Warm up the Dutch Oven with olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add in the onions and sauté until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add in diced celery and continue to cook until they are very soft. The veggies need to be really soft and tender before we add the tomato paste.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Now, mix in the flour and stir well until everything is coated. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the flour is completely cooked out.
- Stir in the tomato paste, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. It will be really thick.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable stock. Using a wooden spoon or spatula to stir while the stock is being added. Add in the bay leaves. Simmer for 20 minutes. The longer it simmers the deeper the flavor becomes.
- Remove both bay leaves. Then carefully add soup to a blender in batches and run until it is completely smooth. An immersion blender or food processor can also be used.
- Transfer back to the pot over low heat and add in the heavy cream and crab meat. Cook for 5 minutes or until the soup is brought back up to temp and the crab meat is warm.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
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