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Creamy Crab Bisque

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This delicious crab bisque is wonderfully rich and flavorful and will warm you from the inside out. Simple to make in one pot, it’s a hearty dish the whole family will love!

crab bisque in a bowl with spoon in it


 

This is hands down one of my favorite seafood soup recipes! It’s pretty easy to throw together and makes one delicious bowl of soup.

This crab bisque is made with crab meat, heavy cream, sherry, fresh vegetables and seasonings

If you are looking for more delicious soup recipes, be sure to try my Beet Soup and Fish Soup.

How to make crab bisque

Gather your ingredients.

  • Unsalted butter: for sautéing the aromatics.
  • Aromatics: onion, celery, garlic – for flavor!
  • All-purpose flour: to thicken the bisque
  • Fire Roasted Tomatoes: this adds flavor and color.
  • Liquids: Seafood stock and sherry cooking wine: You could also use clam juice instead of seafood stock if you don’t have seafood stock or can’t find it in stores. You can also use my easy shrimp stock recipe as well.
  • Seasoning: bay leaves and old bay seasoning
  • Crab meat: I use lump crab meat. You can use lump claw meat; however, the texture will not be the same.
  • Heavy cream: for texture and flavor.
  • Chives: for garnish. Feel free to sub with green onions.
ingredients of the crab biswue

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes.

onions and celery in pot

Stir in the flour and allow it to cook for a few minutes.

onions and celery in pot with flour

Add canned tomatoes, seafood stock, sherry wine, bay leaves, and old bay. Bring to simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

crab bisque ingredients in pot cooking

Remove bay leaves and blend the soup with an immersion blender or carefully blend in a blender until smooth.

Return pot to heat and stir in heavy cream and add crab meat.

heavy cream being poured in crab bisque

Continue to heat for 3-5 minutes, until crab meat is heated through.

finished crab bisque in pot

What is a bisque?

A bisque is a soup of French origin. It’s known to be smooth and creamy, hence the use of heavy cream. You can use milk instead of cream if you want to lessen the fat content, but it won’t be as creamy.

Can you make it ahead of time?

This crab bisque is a great make-ahead meal and will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make the soup, let it cool, then transfer it to an airtight container. You can reheat the soup gently on the stovetop to serve.

Can you freeze it?

Yes. If you have to freeze it, it’s best not to keep it frozen for more than a month. Reheat it on low and stir it well before and during heating so that the cream doesn’t separate. I like to use Soupers for freezing soup.

What’s the best crab to use?

Traditionally, freshly picked Dungeness crab meat is used in this soup, but to make it more accessible, you can easily use tinned crab lump meat. The seafood stock (or clam juice) boosts all those flavors, so you don’t need to get fresh crab meat for this dish.

Recipe Notes and Tips

  • Make the soup in a heavy-bottomed pot. This will distribute the heat more evenly so you don’t get hotspots.
  • If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a stand blender. Transfer it to the blender in batches carefully as it will be very hot.
  • Make this soup gluten-free by using 1:1 gluten-free flour.

FAQ

Can I use chicken broth in place of seafood stock in crab bisque?

Yes. It’ll taste a little different so I strongly urge the use of seafood, shrimp, fish, stock, or clam juice.

What if I don’t have a sherry-cooking wine? Can I leave it out, or is there a substitute?

Sure, add a little more broth to accommodate the absence of the sherry cooking wine. For a substitute, try another adequate sherry wine substitute.

@myforkinglife

The website traffic for this crab bisque went wild on Love Day. I can see why… it’s so good! Just a few ingredients are needed for this restaurant-quality bowl. Unsalted butter: for sautéing the aromatics. Aromatics: onion, celery, garlic – for flavor! All-purpose flour: to thicken the bisque Fire Roasted Tomatoes: this adds flavor and color. Liquids: Seafood stock and sherry cooking wine: You could also use clam juice instead of seafood stock if you don’t have seafood stock or can’t find it in stores. You can also use my easy shrimp stock recipe as well. Seasoning: bay leaves and old bay seasoning Crab meat: I use lump crab meat. You can use lump claw meat; however, the texture will not be the same. Heavy cream: for texture and flavor. Chives: for garnish. Feel free to sub with green onions. Full recipe and deets can be found on the site. 🦀🍲 #crabbisque #soupseason comfortfood”

♬ Lovin’ You – Minnie Riperton

More Soup Recipes

Crab Bisque

This delicious crab bisque is wonderfully rich and flavorful and it will warm you from the inside out. Simple to make in one pot, it's a hearty dish the whole family will love!
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword crab bisque, how to make she-crab soup, seafood soup recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 734kcal
Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 sweet onion, diced about 1 cup
  • 1 celery stalk, diced about 1/2 cup
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic chopped, about 4 small cloves
  • 4 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 14.5 Oz can fire roasted tomatoes undrained
  • 2 cups seafood stock or clam juice
  • 1/2 cup sherry cooking wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 lb crab lump meat
  • 2 Tablespoon chives for garnish

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in the flour and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, seafood stock, sherry wine, bay leaves, and old bay. Bring to simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove bay leaves and blend the soup with an immersion blender or carefully blend in a blender until smooth.
  • Return pot to heat and Stir in heavy cream and add crab meat, Continue to heat for 3-5 minutes, until crab meat is heated through.
  • Serve in bowls and top with chives.

Suggested Tools

Notes

  • Make the soup in a heavy bottomed pan. This will distribute the heat more evenly so you don’t get hotspots.
  • If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a stand blender. Transfer it to the blender in batches carefully as it will be very hot.
  • Make this soup gluten free by using a 1:1 GF flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 734kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 1561mg | Potassium: 574mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2651IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 2mg
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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

This post was originally published on January 28, 2021. It has been updated with additional helpful information.

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Recipe Rating




Stacey

Sunday 14th of January 2024

One of my NY resolutions was to use the Crab Stock I had hidden in the freezer for the past two years (yes, two years!). Thankfully, it was still delicious, and this bisque was amazing! Hearty and filling, it fed four of us and I want another bowl. Guess I'm going to make crab legs soon so I have stock to make this again. Thanks!

Tanya

Monday 15th of January 2024

Thanks, Stacey! 2 years?!? The freezer works wonders! Happy to hear that the bisque turned out delicious.

Ruby Vera

Tuesday 2nd of January 2024

I made it today! I was amazed as to how delishes it came out. Everyone loved it!

Tanya

Friday 5th of January 2024

Thanks so much Ruby Vera! So happy you liked the recipe.

Kim

Monday 25th of December 2023

Made this bisque for a party of 12 and everyone loved it. Some went back for the second round. I cut down the heavy cream by 2/3 of what the recipe called for and added some saffron. I used 3 big fresh crabs and made the stock from the shells ahead of time and then made the rest the day before which saved a lot of time. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing!

Tanya

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

Thanks so much, Kim!

Mike

Friday 1st of December 2023

Tanya, you rock! I'm from Louisiana with plenty of seafood. This recipe is an A+++. Thank you!

Tanya

Monday 4th of December 2023

Thanks so much Mike! So happy you like the recipe.

Joan Edwards

Sunday 5th of November 2023

May you use frozen Crab Meat. Cannot buy tinned lump crab here in Nairobi. Also, unable to purchase Old Bay Seasoning. Is there any substitute for Old Bay. Thank you.

Tanya

Thursday 9th of November 2023

Hi Joan, yes, you can use frozen as long as you defrost it first. Here is an old bay spice substitute recipe with good reviews. https://www.simplejoy.com/old-bay-seasoning/