Corn and Crab Bisque

This corn and crab bisque is absolutely elegant and flavorful, and is the perfect soup for a dinner party.

This corn and crab bisque is spicy and rich, and the mix of the sweet corn and crab spiced with cayenne is reminiscent of the flavors of Louisiana. 

The soup is pretty easy to make. The hardest part is cutting the kernels off the corn cobs. When I tasted this soup after making it, I pretty much jumped up and down. The soup was that good. 

This recipe was inspired by a recipe in Around the World in 450 Recipes, a book I received from Emily, aka Yinzerella of Dinner is Served for a food bloggers' cookbook exchange back in 2014. Emily started her blog to cook through her gramsy's recipe box of Dinner is Served recipe cards. She's into vintage cooking and cocktails. 

This post was originally published February, 2014 and updated February, 2024 with new photos and updated ingredients. 

Ingredient List: 

Corn: You will need eight ears of corn. Buy corn on the cob to use the cobs for creating the stock. To make fast work of stripping the corn from the cob, I love the OXO Corn Prep Peeler. I'm trying to avoid buying single use kitchen gadgets, but this one is worth it if you like fresh corn. 

Crab: While the original recipe calls for using a whole cooked crab, I used the canned lump crab meat that you can find in the refrigerated section of your grocery store or Costco. You can also use a combination of lump and claw crab meat. 

Seafood Base: The original recipe calls for using the shells of the crab for the stock. If you use a whole cooked crab, just throw the shells into the stock as you are making it and you can skip the base (but be sure to add more salt to the final bisque). Any lobster base, shrimp base, or fish stock base will work. I like to save shrimp shells to make my own shrimp base concentrate to use for soups. 

Vegetable Base: I also added some concentrated vegetable bouillon to the stock. 

Pantry and Refrigerator Ingredients: Heavy cream, butter, flour, white and black pepper, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and salt, if needed. 

Scallions: Add freshly sliced scallions at the end. 

Process for Making this Bisque: 

First, strip the kernels from the corn cobs and place the cobs into a stock pot filled with water. Add some bay leaves and the bouillons and boil the cobs for 30 minutes. Remove them, and then continue boiling for another 10 minutes to concentrate the flavors. 

Next, create a roux by cooking butter and flour until browned and then mixing it into the stock. 

Finally, add the cream, the crab, the scallions, and the seasonings, and simmer everything for two minutes. 

Make-Ahead and Serving Suggestions: 

You can definitely make this soup in advance and refrigerate it for the next day or two. 

This soup is wonderful as a starter or appetizer. It's also fabulous as a main course for lunch along with a salad and French bread or garlic bread. 

If You Love Corn Soup: 

I have so many soup recipes that include corn! Here are just a few. Use the search box to find more: 

Chicken and Corn Soup

Mexican-Style Corn Soup

Corn Soup with Seared Scallops

Lamb, Summer Squash, Black Bean, and Corn Soup

Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Corn Soup

Sopa de Elote

Lobster Wonton Corn Chowder

Beer and Smoked Sausage Corn Chowder

Homemade Soup Recipes from the Sunday Funday Group: 

• Copycat Dolly Parton Stampede Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Copy Cat Olive Garden Creamy Gnocchi Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Corn and Crap Bisque from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Creamy Pierogi Chicken Soup from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Ginger Garlic Soup from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Homemade Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from Blogghetti
• One Pot Celery and Broccoli Soup from Cook with Renu
• Sinigang: A Pot of Love from My Grandmother's Kitchen from Culinary Cam
• Creamy Italian Rice Soup with Prosciutto and Corn from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

 

Corn and Crab Bisque

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

This corn and crab bisque is absolutely elegant and flavorful, and is the perfect soup for a dinner party.

Ingredients

• 8 ears of fresh corn
• 12 1/2 cups cold water
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon seafood, shrimp, or lobster base (in lieu of the bouillons/soup bases, you can add crab or shrimp shells to the broth with the corn cobs)
• 1 tablespoon concentrated vegetable bouillon or vegetable base
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound lump crab meat or a 50/50 mixture of lump and claw meat
• 8 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, plus more to taste
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Remove the husks and silk from the corn and discard.
2. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and set aside.
3. Place the stripped cobs into an 8 quart pot and cover with the water. Add the bay leaves and bouillons/soup bases.
4. Bring the pot to a boil, and boil for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the cobs and bay leaves from the pot, and discard. Boil hard for another 10 minutes to reduce.
6. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour and stir over low heat until creamy and golden. Add about a cup of the corn broth to the pan and whisk until thickened. Add the flour mixture to the broth and bring to a boil.
7. Add the corn kernels and boil for about 5 to 10 minutes, to taste.
8. One ingredient at a time, stir in the cream, crab, scallions, peppers, cayenne, hot sauce, and salt and simmer for another two minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

315

Fat (grams)

21 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

12 g

Carbs (grams)

21 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

18 g

Sugar (grams)

7 g

Protein (grams)

15 g

Cholesterol (grams)

84 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2014/02/corn-and-crab-bisque.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

corn, crab, bisque

soup

Southern, Cajun

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