Nothing beats a rich and velvety lobster or crab bisque served with a piece of warm crusty bread. Want a bowl? Don’t worry, we found five of the best recipes for you.
Curious about what a bisque is, and how it differs from a chowder? While both are delicious types of soup, chowder and bisque have distinctive differences that set them apart from one another.
What Is Bisque?
A bisque is a soup traditionally made from pureed shellfish that provides a thick, creamy consistency. The addition of cream (and sometimes wine) makes bisque its very own category of soup. While authentic recipes use shellfish shells to thicken the soup, today you’ll likely see rice used as a thickening agent.
Chowder is also plentiful and creamy, but the protein and vegetable components are never pureed, making this type of soup thick and chunky. Chowders also typically use a combination of cream or milk and potatoes to create this delightful meal.
So, whether you’re hoping for an easy bisque to make on a cold Sunday night, or an elegant meal to present to your significant other, we’ve got something for you. Here are five of our favorite bisque recipes.
Best Seafood Combo: Crab and Shrimp Seafood Bisque
If you love seafood, you probably can’t resist choosing meals that offer combo options. While shrimp and crab are delicious to devour on their own, the pairing of the two creates a lovely and delightful flavor.
What’s great about this bisque is you can choose to substitute other seafood if you aren’t a fan of these two. But seriously, this recipe is flawless all on its own, so we recommend sticking with the original ingredients if you can.
Get the Recipe: The Spruce Eats
Best Gourmet Option: Lobster Bisque from Immaculate Bites
The most popular traditional bisque recipes use lobster. Make this recipe to bring the five-star restaurant dining experience home to you—without spending way too much of your hard-earned money.
