Savory indulgence in a bowl. Creamy bisque with lumps of crab meat throughout … it’s pretty hard to resist. This recipe calls for a pound of crab meat. If you’ve ever picked crabs (especially Maryland blue crabs), you know that this is not the quickest task. I tend to go for the packages of refrigerated crab meat in the seafood department (never the shelf-stable canned stuff!). You definitely pay for the convenience, but it makes this recipe a whole lot easier. It’s a good one for special occasions. P.S. Costco carries 1lb packs of crab meat (at least, mine does)!
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
2 large shallots
1 medium carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp celery salt
4 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup sherry, divided
4 cups chicken broth (or a combination of clam juice and chicken broth)
Zest from one lemon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups cream
1 lb crab meat, picked through for shells
pinch of nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Garnish: drizzle of cream, sprinkle of paprika, fresh dill or chives
Directions
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the shallots, carrot, celery, garlic, and celery salt. Sauté 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the tomato paste and stir another minute.
Deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup of the sherry. (This is done by slowly pouring in the sherry and using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.) Simmer for 2 minutes.
Pour in the broth, and add the lemon zest and Worcestershire sauce. Season with a few scrunches of black pepper. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Off of the heat, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you do not have an immersion blender, you may blend the soup IN BATCHES using a regular blender that is vented to allow the steam to escape (WARNING: filling a blender more than halfway with hot liquid and blending without allowing steam to escape can cause an explosion).
Return the blended soup to the heat and stir in the cream, crab meat, and nutmeg. Heat another 10 minutes, at a gentle simmer. Taste and season with kosher salt and more pepper, if needed.
Ladle into bowls with a splash of the remaining sherry. Garnish with a drizzle of cream, a pinch of paprika, and some fresh dill or chives, if desired.
Comentarios