Crab Bisque

Bisque began in France as a fisherman’s dish, a way to make the most of the day’s crustacean catch by simmering the shells into a rich, fragrant broth. West Coast cooks adopted the technique with their own prized catch — Dungeness crab — and the result is a soup that tastes like the essence of the Pacific distilled into cream.

What makes it great is the depth: the shells are roasted and simmered to extract every drop of sweet, briny flavour, then finished with cream and a splash of sherry that lifts the whole thing. It’s silky, luxurious, and surprisingly straightforward at home. Ladled into warm bowls and garnished with fresh crab meat, it’s the dinner-party starter that always earns the oohs.

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