Crab and Shrimp Seafood Bisque is a silky, creamy soup with sweet crab, tender shrimp and a warm hint of smoked paprika. It feels like a restaurant starter, but it is easy enough for a weeknight and special enough for a holiday dinner.
How to make crab and shrimp bisque: Soften the vegetables, cook the tomato paste and spices, stir in flour and broth and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until thick. Add the cream, shrimp and crab and heat through for 5 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Quick for a cream soup: the shellfish is already cooked, so it only needs to warm through.
- Rich but balanced: heavy cream makes it velvety, and tomato paste and smoked paprika keep it from tasting flat.
- One pot: the roux, the broth and the cream all happen in the same pot.
- Easy to dress up: a splash of sherry at the end gives it a classic bisque finish.
Ingredient Notes
Cooked shrimp and crab: You need 1/2 pound of each, already cooked. Chop the shrimp into bite-size pieces and pick through the crab for bits of shell. Because both are cooked, they go in at the very end so they stay tender.
Celery, carrot and onion: Chop them finely. Small pieces soften in 5 minutes and disappear into the creamy base instead of floating in chunks.
Tomato paste and smoked paprika: These give the bisque its rosy color and depth. I always cook the tomato paste for a minute or two before the flour goes in, because raw paste tastes sharp.
Broth: Seafood broth gives the strongest shellfish flavor; chicken broth works if that is what you have. For an even richer bisque, use seafood stock for half of the broth.
Heavy cream and sherry: Add the cream over lower heat. The sherry is optional, but it is the flavor most people expect in a bisque.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
- 1/2 pound cooked crab meat, shells removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups seafood or chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp sherry, optional
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Fresh herbs (parsley, chives or dill), for garnish
How to Make Seafood Bisque
1. Soften the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the celery, carrot and onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Cook the paste and spices. Stir in the tomato paste, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste and bloom the spices.
3. Make the roux and add broth. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the broth, whisking to avoid lumps, and bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer. Simmer the bisque for 10-12 minutes until it thickens. Stir in the sherry, if using.
5. Add the cream and seafood. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Stir in the shrimp and crab and cook for 5 more minutes until heated through.
6. Season and serve. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs.
How to Get a Smooth, Velvety Bisque
The texture of this bisque comes from the roux, not from blending. Stir the flour into the vegetables for the full 2 minutes so it loses its raw taste, then add the broth slowly while you whisk. Pour it all in at once and the flour clumps.
Let it simmer until it coats the back of a spoon before the cream goes in. Then turn the heat down. Cream added to a hard boil can separate, and you want the soup glossy, not grainy.
My last step is always tasting before salting. Seafood broth and crab can both be salty, so season at the very end, once everything is in the pot.
Tips for Success
Why is my bisque lumpy?
The broth went in too fast. Add it a little at a time at first, whisking until smooth before you pour in more.
Why are the shrimp rubbery?
They cooked too long. The shrimp are already cooked, so they only need the last 5 minutes to warm through at a gentle heat.
Why is my bisque too thin?
It needed more simmering time before the cream went in. Let it bubble gently a few minutes longer until it thickens, then add the cream.
Variations
- Make it spicier: keep the cayenne in and add a little more to taste.
- Richer stock: replace half of the broth with seafood stock.
- Skip the sherry: leave it out; the bisque is still rich and creamy without it.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove, stirring, until a food thermometer reads 165°F; high heat can split the cream. The cream can also separate after freezing, so this bisque is best kept in the fridge.
What to Serve With It
Crusty bread for dipping and a green salad are all you need. For a seafood dinner, follow it with Red Lobster-style shrimp scampi or baked shrimp in lemon butter sauce. If you love crab and shrimp together, try the crab and shrimp casserole or the lobster, crab and shrimp mac and cheese. For something lighter, there is seafood salad or garlic Parmesan roasted shrimp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What goes in a seafood bisque?
This one has cooked shrimp and crab, softened celery, carrot, onion and garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, a flour roux, broth and heavy cream, with an optional splash of sherry.
What is the difference between seafood chowder and seafood bisque?
A bisque is smooth and creamy, with a rich, silky base. A chowder is chunkier and usually has potatoes. This bisque keeps small pieces of shrimp and crab in a velvety cream base.
What makes a bisque a bisque?
A bisque is a rich, creamy soup built around shellfish. Here the shellfish flavor comes from the shrimp, crab and seafood broth, and the body comes from a roux and heavy cream.
Final Notes
Keep the heat low once the cream is in and the bisque stays silky. If you have a question or make it at home, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Crab and Shrimp Seafood Bisque
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Ingredients
- 1/2 pound cooked shrimp peeled, deveined, and chopped
- 1/2 pound cooked crab meat shells removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot finely chopped
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional, for a spicy kick
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups seafood or chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp sherry optional
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- Fresh herbs parsley, chives, or dill for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the chopped celery, carrot, and onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in tomato paste, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste and bloom the spices.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes to create a roux. Slowly pour in the seafood or chicken broth, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer the bisque for 10-12 minutes until it thickens. Stir in sherry (if using) for extra flavor.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Stir in the chopped shrimp and crab meat, cooking for 5 more minutes until heated through.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs like parsley, chives, or dill.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
