Description
A rich and creamy Slow Cooker Seafood Bisque featuring lobster, crabmeat, and a blend of flavorful spices and fresh vegetables. This comforting dish is slowly simmered to infuse deep seafood flavors, finished with heavy cream and fresh herbs for a luxurious finish perfect for special occasions or cozy dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood
- 1 whole cooked lobster
- ½ pound Alaskan king crabmeat, chopped
- 2 small lobster tails
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Liquids and Fats
- 2 (14-ounce) cans diced Italian style tomatoes
- 32 ounces vegetable stock
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pint heavy cream
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning (plus extra for seasoning seafood)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)
- shaved parmesan (for garnish)
- croutons (for garnish)
Instructions
- Crush Lobster Shell: Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to gently crush the shell of the cooked lobster and set aside the shell. Remove lobster meat from shell and refrigerate with the chopped crabmeat for later use.
- Cook Aromatics with Lobster Shells: Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add lobster shells, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped celery and diced red onion. Stir and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Simmer Broth: Lower the heat to a simmer and add vegetable stock. Let it simmer for 10 minutes to extract flavors from the shells and vegetables. Carefully pour the broth through a strainer into a heatproof bowl, discarding the shells.
- Sauté Shallots and Garlic: In the same skillet, melt butter and stir in rice wine vinegar. Add minced garlic and shallot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add this mixture to the strained broth.
- Prepare Lobster Tails: Cut lobster tails approximately 2 inches from the fanned end and add this small section to the broth. Refrigerate the remaining lobster tail sections for later use.
- Slow Cook Bisque Base: Transfer the broth to the slow cooker. Add canned diced tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, Old Bay seasoning, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours to let flavors meld.
- Add Lobster Tails in Final Stage: In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the reserved lobster tail sections to the slow cooker and cook until the lobster turns bright red and is cooked through.
- Prepare Seafood Meat: Remove shelled lobster tails from the soup, take lobster meat out of the shell, and chop. Combine this meat with reserved chopped lobster and crab meat from the fridge. Season with additional Old Bay seasoning.
- Blend and Finish: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the slow cooker until smooth but still slightly textured. Stir in heavy cream, fresh chopped chives, and the seasoned seafood meat.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve the bisque hot, garnished with fresh chopped parsley, shaved parmesan cheese, and crunchy croutons for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- Make sure to discard all lobster shells before blending to avoid any tough bits in your bisque.
- You can substitute vegetable stock with seafood stock for a more pronounced flavor.
- Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes and Old Bay seasoning based on your preferred spice level.
- For a dairy-free version, replace butter and heavy cream with coconut cream and a dairy-free butter alternative.
- Leftover bisque keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be frozen for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: French-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
Keywords: seafood bisque, slow cooker soup, lobster bisque, crab bisque, creamy seafood soup, easy slow cooker recipes, seafood recipes
