Crab Bisque

So, when we did the crab stuffed sole, we had some canned, lump crab left over and were trying to decide what to do with it.  We "kicked" around a couple of ideas regarding croissants, avocados, Swiss cheese, and other accoutre mounts, but settled on a crab bisque since we both love soup and had been craving creamy, savory goodness for some time.  This was another amazingly simple meal to throw together with the crab on hand and took about 40 minutes to do, total.  Include some bread to sop up soup with, and maybe some steamed or roasted veggies, or a carb like rice or potatoes, and you're all set.

I was enjoying some Dropkick Murphys, live on St Patty's Day, 2002, as I made the bisque since they are the quintessential, east-coast punk rock Irish band.  And their ode, "Boys on the Docks" only seems all too appropriate for this recipe.  This is a later video but that's okay because how would you like to be this close to the stage in such a small venue for the Dropkicks?! - justin

CRAB BISQUE

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots (or sweet onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups crab meat
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon very dry sherry
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste

Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan that's heated to medium-high heat.  Add shallots and cook until golden brown.  Add garlic and lemon zest and cook 2 minutes.  Add flour and butter and cook 2 more minutes.  Add crab and parsley and cook 3 minutes, scraping,  making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.  Add chicken broth and sherry, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add cream, cayenne, and white pepper, and add salt to taste.

Bread is a must for this soup!  This is rich and savory and creamy.  Some sourdough or crusty Italian bread will do nicely!  The sourdough is a nice accent to the richness of the soup and the Italian style loaves tend to be dryer and more absorbent.