Seafood Bisque Recipe
Make this creamy seafood bisque recipe with shrimp, crab, and lobster in a rich, velvety broth. Elegant, comforting, and easy to prepare at home
Ingredients
- 1 cup shrimp peeled, deveined, chopped
- 1 cup crab meat fresh or canned, drained
- 1 cup lobster meat optional, for luxury
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups seafood stock or chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp paprika or ½ tsp cayenne for spice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics – Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5–7 minutes.
- Add tomato paste & roux – Stir in tomato paste. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to form a roux.
- Blend the base – Remove bay leaf. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender (or carefully in batches).
- Cook seafood – Return soup to pot. Stir in shrimp, crab, and lobster. Simmer gently 5–7 minutes until seafood is just cooked.
- Finish with cream – Lower heat, stir in heavy cream. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Serve – Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley or chives, and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- For a lighter version, swap heavy cream with half-and-half.
- For extra smoothness, strain the bisque through a fine-mesh sieve after blending.
- Make ahead: Prepare the base (without cream/seafood) up to 2 days in advance. Add seafood and cream when reheating.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.