Blue Crab and Chipotle Bisque Recipe From ‘The Domestic Man'

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Russ Crandall of The Domestic Man shares a creamy blue crab bisque straight from the heart of Maryland. 

Blue Crab and Chipotle Bisque
Servings 4

A bisque is a cream-based soup of French origin, typically made with shellfish. Seafood bisques are very popular in Maryland [where I spent part of my childhood] and can be found in just about every diner menu (and we have a lot of diners). I like the type of bisques you find in Maryland—they have simple, honest flavors—so I whipped up a basic recipe for the home chef, adding a little Chipotle Tabasco in for some kick.

While adding rice to thicken the soup sounds like the most brilliant thing I’ve ever come up with, it isn’t—this is actually the traditional method for thickening bisques.

2 tbsp butter or ghee
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp brandy (1/4 cup dry white wine okay)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup basmati rice, rinsed
6 cups shellfish stock, fish stock or combination
1/2 cup cream (coconut milk okay)
6 squirts Chipotle Tabasco, more to taste
1 lb blue crab meat, fully cooked
2 tbsp fresh parsley or tarragon, chopped

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, warm the butter over medium heat. Then add the chopped onion and carrot; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute, then add the brandy or white wine. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste. Stir together and sauté until aromatic, then add the rice and stock.

2. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to med/low; simmer until the rice is very tender, about 40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup to a blender and blend in batches before returning to the pot. Once smooth, remove from heat and stir in the cream or coconut milk and add the Tabasco. Carefully add all but a little of the blue crab meat, stirring gently so as to not break up the crab chunks. Garnish with fresh parsley or tarragon and the remaining crab, and serve alongside the Tabasco.

More soups to fall in love with:

Vibrant garlic and greens soup from ‘Brooklyn Supper’

Mimi Thorisson’s simple-but-decadent Parmesan soup

Vietnamese pho you can have for breakfast

What’s your go-to soup recipe? Tell us below!