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Spicy Crab and Corn Bisque is rich, smooth and creamy with sweet corn and chunks of succulent lump crab. You’ll love this fuss-free recipe for a quick appetizer or dinner!
If you know me, you know I love a rich, creamy and spicy bisque recipe. We make this crawfish bisque and this prawn bisque all the time, and now this crab and corn bisque is happening on a regular basis too!
If you love crab like we do, you might also want to try these classic Maryland crab cakes, these air fryer crab cakes or this New Orleans seafood gumbo.
But first, let’s talk about this amazing crab bisque with sweet corn! It's ultra easy to make and on the table in under 30 minutes.
You can make it all in one pot for easy cleanup, and it taste even better the next day (perfect for leftovers).
**you may also like this creamy sweet corn & chicken soup.
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What is bisque?
Bisque is usually made with seafood stock and the ingredients are blended together to create a creamy consistency. For an extra smooth and velvety texture, cream is normally stirred in towards the end of cooking.
While bisques are traditionally made with shellfish, you can also find recipes for vegetable bisques such as tomato, corn or squash.
The bisque recipe I’m sharing today is the best of both worlds with sweet corn as the creamy base and plenty of lump crab meat!
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Why this recipe works
- Ready in just 30 minutes! Yes, that’s right. You can have this fancy bisque on the table in half an hour. So you can easily prepare it for a dinner party or busy weeknights.
- It’s made in one pot! When I said this bisque was fuss-free, I meant it! Everything cooks together in a single Dutch oven, making clean up super easy. Just use an immersion blender to keep it all in the same pot.
- You don’t need to make a roux! This bisque is creamy from the blended corn and stirred in cream. No roux required!
- So flavorful! The addition of sherry enhances the flavors of the other ingredients in the bisque and the liquid crab boil adds a zesty taste.
Ingredients
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
You’ll need 8 ounces of lump crab meat. Lump crab meat consists of large chunks of body meat, making it a good size and texture for this bisque. Make sure it's free of any shells before using it.
If lump blue crab is prohibitively expensive for you, substitute any crab meat, just note that the flavor of the crab may not be quite as sweet and succulent.
Since we’re using corn as the creamy base for the bisque and adding whole kernels to the bisque, you’ll need 16 ounces of corn. For convenience, you can use frozen, canned or fresh corn.
To enhance the flavor of the other ingredients, you’ll need 1 cup of dry sherry. If you don’t have sherry or prefer not to use it, you can just add more seafood stock.
The liquid base of this bisque is 4 cups of seafood stock. You can use store-bought or homemade. In a pinch, you can also substitute chicken or vegetable stock.
For an extra zippy seafood flavor, you’ll need 1 teaspoon of liquid crab boil. A little goes a long way here!
Towards the end of cooking the bisque, you’ll add 1 cup of heavy cream and let it simmer. This will finish off the bisque with a rich and velvety smooth texture.
Step by step instructions
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until melted.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add half the corn and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the sherry and cook down for 5 minutes.
Add the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, tarragon and crab boil and stir.
Pour in the seafood stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth (it's okay if it's still a little chunky).
Stir in the cream and the remaining corn and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.
Stir in the crab meat and then remove from the heat.
Add additional salt, if necessary, and serve in bowls garnished with green onions and croutons.
Expert tips
- When using the immersion blender, blend for 3-5 minutes, or until the bisque is creamy. It's okay if there are a few small chunky pieces.
- If you’re using a stand blender, make sure to let the liquid cool slightly before transferring it to the blender and blending it. If you have a heat proof blender, that’s even better.
- If you prefer no spice, you can omit the liquid crab boil and cayenne pepper (for more spice just add more).
- Pick through the crab and discard any pieces of shell.
- In place of the crab, you can use lobster or shrimp.
- You can substitute chicken or vegetable stock for the seafood stock.
- While sherry adds a depth of flavor, if you prefer not to use it, you can just use more stock.
- When simmering the bisque with the cream you should stir frequently and make sure it doesn’t come to a boil as the cream may start to curdle.
Common questions
Crab bisque is traditionally made with cream, butter, seafood stock and other seasonings.
This bisque is thickened by blending most of the ingredients into a creamy texture. If your bisque isn’t thick enough, try blending up some more corn to thicken it or reduce the amount of seafood stock you use.
If your bisque is too thick and you want to thin it out, just add more seafood stock, cream or even a little water.
A simple oyster cracker or crouton is great with this crab bisque. You can also dip garlic bread or other bread in it. Serve it alongside roasted vegetables or a nice salad.
A combination of a seafood stock, cream and some type of thickening agent is what makes a sauce a bisque. A bisque is a French soup that is often made with shellfish.
Serving options
- For toppings, we love this bisque served with chopped green onion and crunchy croutons.
- Crumbled bacon and oyster crackers on top are also amazing.
- Make it a meal by serving it with a side salad and crusty bread or air fryer biscuits.
- Enjoy it as an appetizer before a meal of filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes.
- For an extra treat, pair this bisque with jalapeño hush puppies or crawfish egg rolls.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
You can make this recipe ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It may thicken a little in the fridge so just add a little more seafood stock before reheating.
To reheat, place the bisque in a Dutch oven and heat on the stove over medium heat until warmed. (Just make sure it doesn’t boil as the cream may curdle).
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Leftovers can also be frozen, however, the cream may start to curdle when reheating from froze. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat per instructions above.
If you want to make it ahead of time and freeze, I suggest leaving out the cream, whole corn kernels and crab. Just follow the recipe instructions until you've blended the bisque. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Place in a Dutch oven on the stove and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and then add the cream, corn and crab. Simmer for 5 minutes then serve.
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Spicy Crab and Corn Bisque
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lump crab meat
- 16 ounces corn frozen, canned or fresh, divided
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 4 cups seafood stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon liquid crab boil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- green onions for garnish
- croutons for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until melted.
- Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add half the corn and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add the sherry and cook down for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, tarragon and crab boil and stir.
- Pour in the seafood stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth (it's okay if it's still a little chunky).
- Stir in the cream and the remaining corn and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.
- Stir in the crab meat and then remove from heat.
- Add additional salt, if necessary, and serve in bowls garnished with green onions and croutons.
Expert Tips:
- When using the immersion blender, blend for 3-5 minutes, or until the bisque is creamy. It's okay if there are a few small chunky pieces.
- If you’re using a stand blender, make sure to let the liquid cool slightly before transferring it to the blender and blending it. If you have a heat proof blender, that’s even better.
- Pick through the crab and discard any pieces of shell.
- In place of the crab, you can use lobster or shrimp.
- You can substitute chicken or vegetable stock for the seafood stock.
- While sherry adds a depth of flavor, if you prefer not to use it, you can just use more stock.
- When simmering the bisque with the cream you should stir frequently and make sure it doesn’t come to a boil as the cream may start to curdle.
Nutrition
Laila says
I just love how creamy and sweet and delicious this turned out! The crab was so nice and flavorful, and the corn added an amazing fresh, sweet flavor. It was perfect!
Danielle says
Thanks so much!