Crab Bisque: A Twist on Tradition Thanksgiving Menu

This special soup is incomparably rich and delicious. My sister-in-law, Eleanor Van Dyke, serves it at her annual Christmas party, where it’s always a huge hit. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, substituting or mixing lobster, shrimp, oysters, or scallops. You can also substitute backfin crabmeat, which is less expensive because the meat is in smaller pieces.

Photograph by © Edwin Remsberg, excerpted from Dishing Up® Maryland.

4–6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound Maryland jumbo lump crabmeat
4 tablespoons butter
3 celery stalks, diced
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1½ teaspoons salt or seafood seasoning
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions

1. Pick through the crabmeat and remove any shell bits and cartilage. Set crabmeat aside.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the celery and the onion and sauté over low heat until they are translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and scoop out the vegetables. Put the vegetables into a cheesecloth bag and tie the bag to the handle of the pan, so that the bag hangs inside the pan, close to the bottom.
3. Return the pan to the heat and add the flour, mustard, salt, and pepper, stirring until blended. Add the half-and-half and the milk and stir constantly until thickened.
4. Add the crabmeat and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the vegetable bag and sprinkle the bisque with parsley before serving.

Excerpted from Dishing Up® Maryland © 2010 by Lucie L. Snodgrass. All rights reserved.

Go to: A Twist on Tradition Thanksgiving Menu for more great Thanksgiving recipes.