Some of your ingredients for the shellfish bisque.... crab and clams
Today we're sharing our very own Shellfish Bisque recipe. We know the holidays can have the same menu all the time, but this might be a nice addition or change from your regular cheese plate starter or salad. Enjoy!
Shellfish Bisque
Ingredients:
- 1 quart -Shellfish Shells ( shrimp, clams, lobster, crab, etc.)
- 2 each- yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 2 each- carrots, roughly shopped
- 2 stalks- celery, roughly chopped
- 8 ounces- tomatoes, canned whole
- 1 bottle- white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
- 8 ounces- butter, unsalted
- 2 cups- AP flour
- 2 quarts- shellfish stock
- 1 quart- heavy cream
- 1 cup- cognac
- 1/2 bunch- tarragon
- 4 tablespoons- cooking oil
Season with salt to taste....
Method:
In a large pot (two gallon is best) toast the shellfish shells on low heat in the cooking oil until fragrant.
Next add the butter, onions, carrots, celery and sweat until translucent. At this point you can add a good pinch of salt to start layering your seasoning, but don't overdo it.
As soon as the liquid is gone and all that is left is the broken butter and oil, add your flour and toast until cooked. If it's under toasted, the bisque will taste gummy, over toasted and it will taste burnt.
Once it's cooked, add in the white wine and stir constantly scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to keep from sticking and burning. Do this until it no longer smells like alcohol.
Next, add in the tomatoes, shellfish stock and cream. Continue stirring and scraping the bottom to keep the flour from sticking and burning ( don't scorch your bisque!)
Once it's at a simmer, season with a little more salt, add your tarragon and puree with an emersion blender. This will help with the flavor by breaking up a lot of the vegetables and shellfish. Strain through a fine strainer and season with cognac and salt to your liking.
SERVE AND ENJOY!