Easy Crab Bisque
Easy crab bisque is a shortcut soup recipe that tastes just as delicious as anything you’d get in a restaurant with virtually no work whatsoever. This rich crab soup features sweet lump crab meat in a creamy tomato base.
One of our favorite vacation things to do is head out for a seafood dinner.
And one of my favorite things to order is crab bisque.
Rich, creamy, and totally indulgent, the soup is worth it.
I often crave it when I’m home, but I can’t be bothered to slave away in the kitchen for hours when the weather is good.
So instead, I’ll shortcut it with this easy recipe.
May not sound great at first glance, but I promise this combination really works and it gets you out of the kitchen in a snap.
What is crab bisque?
Crab bisque is a creamy crab soup similar to a cream of crab soup.
The main difference between them is that it’s thicker and richer than a cream of crab soup so it feels like the ultimate indulgence.
Ingredients
To make this you only need a few ingredients:
- Cream of soups– Both cream of mushroom and cream of celery. If you prefer, you can substitute cream of asparagus for the cream of celery.
- Tomato soup– A can of condensed tomato soup. Don’t use non condensed soup.
- Crab meat– Lump crab meat, drained.
- Half and half– Don’t use just milk or cream. If you don’t have half and half you can use one part milk and one part cream.
- Sherry– Cooking sherry is fine.
How to Make
To make this, add all of the ingredients except the sherry to a soup pot and whisk them to combine.
Let the mixture come to a simmer but don’t boil it.
Once it is heated through, whisk in the sherry.
Ladle the soup into bowls.
Serve and enjoy!
Can I make this ahead of time?
I would not make this ahead of time, but it’s so easy to make that it should be no big deal to throw it together anytime.
Storing leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat prior to serving, adding more half and half if needed to thin.
Tips and Tricks
- It’s totally optional, but I prefer to not only drain the canned crab but give it a quick rinse as well. This helps remove any canned fishy flavor and let’s the crab shine through on its own.
- We like to serve with fresh herbs and oyster crackers
- Want to keep it budget friendly? You can use flaked imitation crab or a cheaper variety of crab in general.
- Prefer a seafood style bisque? Add cooked shrimp, scallops, and/or lobster.
Other Easy Soup Recipes
This easy crab bisque is a favorite way to enjoy a taste of the beach anytime. Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other easy soup recipes? Try these:
- Classic French Onion Soup
- Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Classic Potato Soup
- Italian Style Chicken Noodle Soup
If you’ve tried this EASY CRAB BISQUE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Shortcut Crab Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- 2 6 oz cans lump crab meat drained
- 2 cups half & half
- 1/2 cup cooking sherry
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the sherry to a soup pot. Whisk them together to evenly combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, but DO NOT boil.
- Cook, simmering, until the soup's heated through. When heated through, whisk in the sherry.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve with garnish of your choice.
Notes
- It's totally optional, but I prefer to not only drain the canned crab but give it a quick rinse as well. This helps remove any canned fishy flavor and let's the crab shine through on its own.
- We like to serve with fresh herbs and oyster crackers
- Want to keep it budget friendly? You can use flaked imitation crab or a cheaper variety of crab in general.
- Prefer a seafood style bisque? Add cooked shrimp, scallops, and/or lobster.
Nutrition
I used fresh crab and was surprised this recipe turned out so good! I usually do not like to use canned soups in recipes, but this is a huge exception and changed my mind. In my opinion this turned out as good as any crab bisque I’ve had. The only thing I added was a little cayenne pepper.
Cayenne pepper would add the perfect bit of spice to this soup. I’m so glad you gave it a try and trusted the process. Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback, hopefully you’ll find many more recipes to love here!