Creole Crab Bisque

I grew up in southern Louisiana, in a house where crab traps dangled lazily from the dock that connected our home to a large lake. When nothing else was planned for dinner, we’d haul up the traps and peer inside, hopeful we’d have several blue crabs waiting for us in the wired boxes. Occasionally, they turned up empty; but, more often than not, when we pulled on their wet brown ropes, we were greeted with several dozen blue crabs. Dinner.

We didn’t need anything particularly elaborate to bring our lake-to-table dinner plans to life. A large steamer pot, a baguette, and some freshly drawn lemon butter was usually good enough. But today, with a good deal more cooking experience under my belt, I like to do a bit more when I find myself with craving fresh crabmeat. Here, I’m using it in a classic Creole Crab Bisque, using all of the ingredients southern Louisiana cuisine is most well known for: chopped onions, celery, and garlic; a bit of tomato paste; a handful of long-grained rice; and loads of fresh crabmeat.

For sheer ease of preparation, I’ve used store-bought seafood stock and lump crab meat; but, if you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh crabs, you could easily make your own stock and pick your own meat. You can also play around with the ingredients in this bisque to suit your tastes. Add a bit more wine for some extra tang; swap thyme for tarragon for a more licorice-y flavor; increase or decrease the amount of cream to vary the level of creaminess. As long as there’s plenty of onions and garlic, some fresh herbs, and a hearty amount of crabmeat, you really can’t go wrong.

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:18]