Best Ever Crab Bisque Recipe

Sometimes we get spoiled with the abundance of fish and seafood in California. And there is nothing better than to cook a catch of the day, like Crab, fresh off the boat! Crab Bisque, anyone? Thanks to our neighbor, who enjoys taking fishing trips in the Monterey Bay, just under an hour away from the San Francisco Bay Area, we got two beautiful Dungeness Crabs after his recent expedition. These were especially fun to prepare since we had never cooked Crabs at home.

Fun Facts

In California, Dungeness Crab season runs from November through early June (although the official commercial fishing periods vary from year to year due to whales migrations). The best time for crabbing in the San Francisco Bay Area is during the winter months. With the availability of Crabs this time of year, it has become a growing tradition to eat the Crab on New Year’s Day — Kind of like Turkey on Thanksgiving or a Roast at Christmas.

Whenever we dine out in San Francisco or any seafood restaurant in the Bay Area or California Coast, we always check to see if they have Crab or Shrimp Bisque. When our neighbor gifted us two fresh steamed crabs, we knew right away that we wanted to explore options for making a Crab Bisque.

This is definitely a weekend dinner affair, so plan on devoting at least four hours for this beast of a bisque (AND, this does not include the time catching the Crab 😊). Removing the meat from the Crab will require some time, especially if you’re a first-timer like us. But, don’t be too intimidated — there are plenty of instructional videos online to help guide you through it.

Crab Bisque Recipe (serves 6):

Special Equipment:

Immersion blender (one of the best kitchen gadgets we ever bought)

Ingredients:

2 steamed Dungeness Crabs in shells
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup of shallots, finely chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 ½ cup of full-bodied white wine (we like using California Chardonnay for cooking)
1 ¼ cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons butter
4-5 cups of water
¼ cup of white long-grained rice (uncooked)
3-4 sprigs of thyme
Parsley
2 Bay leaves
10-15 whole black peppercorns
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (we used ~ ½ teaspoon)
5-6 slices of sourdough baguette (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

2. Deshell the crabs, pull the meat and the fat from the inside of the shells, and set them aside. (DO NOT DISCARD THE SHELLS)

3. Place the crab shells on the cooking sheet lined with foil, and roast them for about 10-12 minutes. Do not skip this step — it brings so much flavor to the bisque.

4. Move the crab shells to a large pot and cover them with water, about an inch above the shells. On medium-high, slowly bring to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately reduce the heat to medium or a bit lower and leave it uncovered for about an hour. (TIP: You will see foam forming on top, gently remove it with a slotted spoon without disturbing the shells. These are the impurities cooking out off the shells, and you’ll want to remove as much as you can)

5. Once the foam stops forming, it is time to add some of our other ingredients: Add ½ a cup of white wine (we’ll need the rest later), 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley.

6. Add 4-5 cups of water, so the shells, herbs, and vegetables are all covered. (TIP: This is when you know how much bisque will be made. If you don’t use all of the stock, you can freeze it for up to 2 months!)

7. Increase the heat to medium, let it start gently simmering for about 30 minutes. Salt to taste. If any additional foam forms, remove it with the slotted spoon. Then remove the crab shell stock from heat. 

8. Remove the larger pieces of crab shells and vegetables with tongs and discard. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the rest of the broth into another large pot. Repeat the straining process until liquid is clear. The stock should be rich in color with minimal specks. Reserve 6 cups for the bisque, and store the rest of the stock for future use.

Are we there yet? Not quite 😊 But we promise you’ll be licking that bowl of crab bisque clean once it’s all finished!

9. Grab another large pot (or just clean and reuse the first pot), melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, add the finely chopped shallots and cook for about 5-6 minutes. Do not burn them.

10. Add the remaining 1 cup of wine, 6 cups of stock, 2 remaining tablespoons of tomato paste, and ¼ cup of rice. Raise the heat to medium-high to simmer, then reduce heat back to medium-low, and cook uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Take off the heat.

11. Take about 2/3 of the crab meat and add it to the pot! Grab your immersion blender and puree it in the pot until creamy.

12. Add 1 ¼ cup of heavy cream, cayenne pepper and salt (cayenne and salt to taste), and the remaining crab meat. Gently stir them in and put the pot on low heat for another minute.

13. Once ready, pour the crab bisque into your favorite bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately. San Francisco sourdough bread compliments this bisque perfectly.

14. ENJOY! 😊 

YOU DID IT! Enjoy your own best ever homemade crab bisque!

For more delicious homemade dishes, inspired by our travels and living in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out these recipes for the Sand Dabs, Chorizo in Wine, Barnyard Chicken Cutlets, and more!

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