Recipes Soup Bisque Spicy Crab Bisque 5.0 (3,494) 2 Reviews Tanya Holland's decadent crab bisque is studded with plenty of lump crabmeat. Thanks to a hit of cayenne and Tabasco, the soup has a sneaky heat. By Tanya Holland Tanya Holland Instagram Tanya Holland is an award-winning chef renowned for her modern soul food and comfort classics. She has published critically acclaimed cookbooks New Soul Cooking (2003), Brown Sugar Kitchen (2014), and Tanya Holland's California Soul (2022), and hosted cooking shows The Melting Pot Soul Kitchen and Tanya's Kitchen Table. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 9, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © John Kernick Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 12 Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 white onion (small finely chopped) 6 celery ribs (finely chopped) 6 scallions (thinly sliced) 2 bay leaves ¼ cup all-purpose flour 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 tablespoons mashed roasted garlic 3 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 teaspoon tomato paste ¼ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 pinch of ground cloves 1 pinch of ground mace 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup heavy cream ½ tablespoon Tabasco (to 1 ) Salt Freshly ground pepper 2 pounds lump crab or Dungeness crabmeat (jumbo) Oyster crackers (for serving) Directions 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. Make Ahead The crab bisque can be refrigerated without the crab for up to 3 days. Reheat the bisque gently and then add the crab just before serving. Suggested Pairing Ripe, fruit-forward California Chardonnay. Rate it Print