Cornish crab bisque with lemony croutons

Name: Cornish crab bisque with lemony croutons
Prep time: 1 h 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 Tbsps olive or rapeseed oil, plus a little to serve; 1 onion, chopped; 1 fennel bulb, fronds picked and reserved, bulb chopped; 1 carrot, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 Tbsp tomato purée; 200 grams crabmeat (half brown meat, half white meat) or 1 medium whole crab; 1 pinch pinch of saffron; 3 Tbsps brandy; 1 liter good-quality fish stock (or make your own if using a whole crab - see tip, below); 100 milliliters double cream; 1 zest lemon, plus a tablespoon of juice; 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into croutons

You can never have too many main course recipes, so give Cornish crab bisque with lemony croutons a try. This recipe makes 4 servings with 328 calories, 17g of protein, and 19g of fat each. This recipe covers 20% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe from BBC Good Food requires bread, onion, bay leaves, and carrot. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes. It is a good option if you're following a pescatarian diet. Users who liked this recipe also liked Tomato Bisque With Garlic Croutons, Celery Root Bisque with Thyme Croutons, and Bourbon Sweet Potato Bisque with Brown Butter Cinnamon Sugar Croutons.

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, fennel, carrot and bay leaves with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 mins until really tender.

Ingredients you will need

Bay Leaves

Carrot

Fennel

Onion

Salt

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more, then stir in the tomato pure for another 1 min.

Ingredients you will need

Garlic

Tomato

Add the brown crabmeat, saffron, brandy and some pepper, stirring until the brandy has bubbled away.

Ingredients you will need

Crabmeat

Saffron

Brandy

Pepper

Add the stock and stir until smooth. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the vegetables are soft.

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable

Stock

Using a hand blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve back into a clean saucepan, making sure you push through as much liquid as possible.

Ingredients you will need

Soup

Equipment you will use

Immersion Blender

Sauce Pan

Sieve

Add the cream and simmer for another 5 mins the soup should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Ingredients you will need

Cream

Soup

Add a few drops of lemon juice, taste and season or add more lemon if necessary, then chill until ready to serve.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Juice

Lemon

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas

Equipment you will use

Oven

Toss the croutons with the remaining oil, the lemon zest and some black pepper on a baking tray.

Ingredients you will need

Black Pepper

Lemon Zest

Croutons

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Baking Pan

Bake for 10 mins, tossing halfway through, until crisp and golden. Leave to cool, then store in a plastic container until ready to serve. The soup and croutons can be made up to 1 day ahead.

Ingredients you will need

Croutons

Soup

Equipment you will use

Oven

To serve, reheat the soup and divide between shallow soup bowls. Spoon a mound of white crabmeat into the centre of each bowl, then drizzle with a little oil and add a few of the reserved fennel fronds. Float a few croutons on top and serve with a little extra black pepper, if you like.

Ingredients you will need

Black Pepper

Crabmeat

Croutons

Fennel

Soup

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Bowl