Creamy Crab & Shrimp Seafood Bisque

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🦀🦐 Creamy Crab & Shrimp Seafood Bisque

Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30–35 minutes

⭐ Ingredients

Seafood

  • ½ lb (225g) shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
  • ½ lb (225g) lump crab meat (fresh or canned, drained)

Base

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ cup (120ml) white wine (optional, but recommended)

Liquids

  • 3 cups (710ml) seafood stock (or chicken stock)
  • 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
  • ½ cup (120ml) half-and-half or whole milk

Seasonings

  • 1 tsp Old Bay
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1–2 tsp lemon juice

Extras (optional)

  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • Croutons or toasted baguette
  • Extra cream swirl for garnish

🍲 Instructions

1. Sauté the vegetables

  • Heat butter + olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  • Add onion and celery; cook 5–6 minutes until softened.
  • Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.

2. Make the roux

  • Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute to remove raw taste.
  • Add tomato paste; stir to combine.

3. Deglaze + add liquids

  • Pour in white wine (if using); simmer 2 minutes.
  • Slowly whisk in seafood stock.
  • Add bay leaf, Old Bay, paprika, cayenne (optional), salt, and pepper.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Purée the base (optional but makes it extra silky)

  • Remove bay leaf.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth
    (or transfer to a blender in batches).

5. Add seafood

  • Reduce heat to low.
  • Add shrimp and simmer 3–4 minutes until pink and cooked.
  • Stir in crab meat gently.

6. Make it creamy

  • Add heavy cream + half-and-half.
  • Warm through without boiling.
  • Add lemon juice, adjust salt & pepper.

7. Serve

Ladle into bowls and top with:

  • Fresh parsley
  • A swirl of cream
  • Croutons or toasted bread

💡 Tips for Perfect Bisque

  • Don’t boil after adding cream—keeps it silky.
  • Use lump crab, not imitation.
  • Add shrimp at the end so they stay tender.
  • Want thicker? Add 1 more tablespoon flour to the roux.
  • Want richer? Replace half-and-half with more cream.

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