Spicy Crab Bisque

Don’t let the amount of ingredients fool you. This is one of the easiest, most delicious soup recipes! This Spicy Crab Bisque is from none other than the Food and Wine 2014 Cookbook (p 79). Mashed roasted garlic, sherry, sweet smoked paprika, tabasco, ground cloves, ground mace, & jumbo lump crab meat are just a few of the ingredients that brought this dish to another level! Mmmmmmm!

Here’s how to do it:

In a large soup pot, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, scallions and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth is thickened and the vegetables are very tender, 15 minutes.

Add the roasted garlic and milk; bring to a simmer. Stir in the sherry, ketchup, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, cloves, mace, nutmeg, cream and Tabasco and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crab; simmer until hot. Discard the bay leaves. Serve the bisque with oyster crackers.