Bisque of Pumpkin and Crab

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - You are probably asking yourself the question, “why add the claw crabmeat first to the soup?” I know you have heard the old saying…the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat. The fact is, claw crabmeat has tremendous flavor and when add to the soup, the stock will import this flavor and give the soup an explosive crab taste! The lump crabmeat serves as the ultimate garnish for this holiday dish..

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) can of pumpkin purée

OR 1 pound boiled fresh pumpkin, mashed

1 pound crab claw meat

1 pound lump crabmeat

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup diced onions

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced bell peppers

¼ cup minced garlic

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, seeded and minced

¼ cup flour

1½ quarts hot shellfish or chicken stock

½ tsp dried rosemary

½ tsp dried marjoram

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Salt and black pepper to taste

Granulated garlic to taste

¼ cup snipped chives

Method:

Gently pick through crabmeat, taking care not to break lumps, and discard any shells or cartilage. Set aside. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and minced garlic then sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted, stirring often. Add pumpkin, blending well into the vegetable mixture, and cook for 2 minutes. Add apples, blending well, then stir in flour. When flour is well blended, add the hot stock, one ladle at a time, and stir constantly until a soup-like consistency is achieved. Add herbs and claw crabmeat, stirring gently to blend well. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add heavy whipping cream, return to a simmer, and season to taste using salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. When ready to serve, gently fold in lump crabmeat, taking care not to break lumps. Warm for 1 minute, divide evenly among 6 serving bowls, and garnish with chives.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.