Posted on 10/19/2022 5:39:55 AM PDT by Red Badger
NATIONAL SEAFOOD BISQUE DAY
Every year on October 19th, National Seafood Bisque Day serves up a hot, delicious meal for seafood lovers. The day celebrates a luxurious bowl of tasty soup made from the catch of the day!
#SeafoodBisqueDay
Seafood bisque is a smooth, creamy, and highly-seasoned soup of French origin. Recipes call for a strained broth of crustaceans. Use seafood such as lobster, crab, shrimp, or crayfish.
The name “Bisque” is likely derived from Biscay, as in the Bay of Biscay. However, the crustaceans are certainly bis cuites, meaning “twice-cooked.” Recipes require cooks to first sauteed the seafood lightly in their shells, then simmered in wine or cognac and aromatic herbs before being strained.
This rich and filling soup goes well with a crusty chunk of bread. Serve it as the introduction to a larger meal or the meal itself. If you enjoy wine, try Gewurztraminer with your bisque.
HOW TO OBSERVE SEAFOOD BISQUE DAY
Celebrate the day by trying one of the following Seafood Bisque recipes. Or share one of your own. Be sure to make it a real celebration by sharing with friends and family. As always, use #SeafoodBisqueDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL SEAFOOD BISQUE DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar® continues researching the origins of this warming food holiday.
Bisque FAQ
Q. What’s the difference between a bisque and a cream soup?
A. In a bisque, the cream is added earlier in the cooking process. A cream soup adds the cream last. The amount of seasoning is also different between the two soups.
Q. Are bisques only made with seafood?
A. No, though traditionally recipes for bisques only included seafood as the prime ingredient. However, several kinds of ingredients star in these flavorful soups today. Try chicken, potato or corn bisques, for example.
Q. Are all bisques soup?
A. Yes. Bisque is a type of soup just like broth-based, cream-based soups, chowders, and are soups.
PING!....................
I have some lump crab in the fridge. Maybe that’s what I should make with it. Need to go check out some recipes, but if anyone has a great bisque recipe, let me know, please!
Even a can of Tuna works!.....................
Bookbinders in Philadelphia had good lobster bisque. But the best I ever had was at Commanders Palace in New Orleans. CP is my all-time favorite restaurant. I used to live in New Orleans, and going to CP was an event that warranted its own entry on the calendar.
Crab Bisque
YIELDS:
4 - 6 serving(s)
Ingredients
3 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3 tbsp. flour
4 c. fish stock (or low-sodium vegetable broth)
1 c. dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 lb. lump crab meat
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions
1. In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, heat butter. Add onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Old Bay, then stir in garlic and tomato paste. Cook until garlic is fragrant and tomato paste coats vegetables, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle over flour and cook until absorbed, 1 minute more.
2. Pour in seafood stock and wine, then stir in bay leaf. Reduce heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced and flavors meld, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaf and puree soup with an immersion blender on high until very smooth. Return to medium low heat and stir in heavy cream and half of the crab meat. Cook until just warmed through, about 5 minutes.
4. Divide among bowls and garnish with remaining crab meat and parsley before serving.
That sounds delicious to me! Thank you!
I wonder if leftover bisque will keep in the freezer?
I love Commander’s Palace also. I was so taken by them that I searched for their cookbook online, and bought a copy. It was one of the better meals I’ve ever had, and of course, the company at my table was great, too! I met my childhood friends in NOLA for a long weekend a few years ago, before anyone knew that CoVid was here. We stayed in the Garden District just down the street from there. What a great getaway that was!
Probably.......but don’t refreeze crab.
Right, good point.
There was a restaurant in Palo Alto, CA four decades ago called “The Captain’s Cabin” that made the most glorious lobster bisque. After work, my then-girlfriend and I (now my wife) would often get a quart to go with their wonderful sourdough bread and butter. It was a scrumptious,fast, delightful and easy dinner.
They went out of business and no bisque since then has come close. It’s kind of like memories of your first girlfriend.
I like these National food days
Although,I usually lag behind..sometimes weeks!
You made a bisque out of your first girlfriend? 🤡
Well, she was a shrimp!
Tomorrow is “NATIONAL CHICKEN AND WAFFLES DAY”....................
Ooo..that one I might actually be on time.
Although,I will have chicken gravy on waffles...mmmmm..one of me favs
This lobster bisque is restaurant quality but easy to make at home. Inspired by the deliciously rich lobster bisque at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, this recipe creates a luscious creamy soup with flavors of brandy, sherry, and plenty of lobster!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
It’s thick and creamy and full of incredible flavors. You’ll love this bisque on a cold fall or winter evening.
Lobster. Um. Do I really need to say more? Besides the incredible lobster meat, the bisque starts with a homemade stock made from lobster shells and aromatics, so you know it’s super rich and delicious.
It’s a top-notch, restaurant-quality bisque that’s really easy to make but looks and sounds super luxurious. Keep this recipe on hand for special occasions (anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, etc.) or anytime you need to entertain someone you really want to impress.
Looking for a make-ahead meal? You can make the majority of this recipe up to one day in advance and finish it right before dinnertime. This recipe does not freeze well, and the finished bisque should only be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 days, in an airtight container.
Key Ingredients
Lobster – Lobster is a delicious, decadent shellfish that’s full of nutrients and is an excellent source of
lean protein. It doesn’t have the same kick of Omega-3 fatty acids as, say, salmon, but it does have significant amounts of zinc, calcium, and potassium. Oh, also it tastes amazing.
Brandy & Sherry – No, that’s not a singing duo. These ingredients put this lobster bisque over the top and really deliver that restaurant-quality flavor. Nothing really replaces the flavors in these liquors, but you can try substituting white wine for the sherry if you want or need to. If you’re looking for non-alcoholic subs, I would recommend replacing the 1 cup total alcohol with a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar-free apple juice, a splash of vinegar, and 3/4 cup more lobster stock.
What’s the Best Way to Remove Lobster Meat from the Shell?
The easiest way, in my opinion, is just to cut away the shell from the meat. No really, it’s that simple.
Take your cooled lobster tails from their water bath and use shears to cut straight down the back of the tail. Then, you’ll need to pop the hard membranes on the inner side of the tail using your thumbs. Once you’ve done that, you should be able to open up the shell and pull the meat out in one piece.
Lobster tail cut down the center
If you don’t have kitchen shears (or a sharp knife) or if you just want another option, you can do this with your bare hands, too.
Lay the cooled lobster tail on its side on the kitchen counter or on a cutting board. Using both hands, press down on the shell until it cracks.
Hold the tail with the shell facing down and the fins pointed toward you. Pull on both sides of the shell to crack it open the rest of the way so you can remove the meat.
Now you’re ready for lobster bisque!
Chef’s Tips
If you’re a big fan of lobster, you can totally use more than this recipe calls for. Fresh lobster meat is best, and we absolutely recommend it over anything else, but frozen or canned can be used instead. It won’t taste quite the same as fresh lobster, but it’ll work. If you use frozen tails, make sure to thaw them first!
Want even more flavor? Try sautéing your lobster before adding it to your bisque. Melt butter and sauté garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Season your lobster with salt and pepper (and a little cayenne or Tony Chachere’s if you like things spicy) and sauté it just long enough to warm it through. Add the sautéed lobster to your bisque, stir everything together, then enjoy!
If you can swing it, use cold-water lobster tails instead of warm-water ones. Cold-water tails are more expensive, but they’re also a little sweeter (as opposed to fishier warm-water lobsters) and have a nicer texture. BMix it up! Use crab, shrimp, or crawfish in place of (or along with) the lobster meat for extra flavors and proteins.
40 Aprons
40 Aprons
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Ingredients
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
3 small lobster tails (or 2 large)
1 onion (sliced)
1 large celery stalk (sliced)
1 small carrot (sliced)
1 head garlic (cut in half crosswise)
1 tomato (sliced)
2 sprigs fresh tarragon (optional)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups bottled clam juice
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup sherry
Water (to boil)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Bring large pot of water to boil. Add lobster tails to water, and boil until cooked through and bright red, approximately 5 minutes.
Boiling lobster tails in a large silver pot
Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large bowl. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid, saving as much loose lobster meat with the liquid as possible.
Cool lobster tails by running under cool water. Crack tails and remove meat using the method of your choice – see Notes.
Coarsely chop lobster meat, then cover and chill. Coarsely chop lobster shells and transfer to medium bowl. Reserve juices from lobster in a bowl.
In large pot of medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add lobster shells and sauté until shells darken, approximately 5 minutes.
Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, tomato, tarragon, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Stir in brandy and sherry, then boil until almost all liquid has evaporated, approximately 5 minutes.
Lobster shells, onion, garlic, and vegetables in a large pot
Add clam juice, reserved liquid from boiling lobster, and reserved lobster juices. Cook at strong simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
Strain soup through sieve set over large saucepan, pressing firmly on solids. Whisk tomato paste into soup. Simmer until soup is reduced to 3 cups, approximately 15 minutes. If making bisque ahead of time, stop here. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.
Add whipping cream to soup and simmer 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water. Add to soup. Boil until slightly thickened, approximately 2 minutes.
Season with salt and black pepper. Mix lobster meat into soup and stir until heated through.
Thanks! I’ll have to give that a try.
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