It's Christmas All Over Again

SHERRY CRAB BISQUE

In a past newsletter, I talked about my time working at Ditka’s Steakhouse and the obscene quantities of free soup that I consumed in my three years there. The soups at Ditka’s rotated daily and seasonally but their main menu staple was and still is crab bisque. I had never had crab bisque before working there, and after trying it for the first time I ate it nearly every day for three years. I ate so much crab bisque I was partially carcinized. That is why I had to leave that job—it’s too damn difficult to pick up a tray of Rocky Bleier Burgers when you’ve got claws for hands. 

When brothmonger began I quickly started working on a large scale crab bisque recipe for the masses. The first time I made it was the first time I had to completely throw away a thirty-quart batch of soup. Thankfully I learned many lessons and the second time I made it was a huge success. Since those days in my tiny apartment kitchen, every time I make this soup it’s better than the time before. Here, I have taken that recipe and scaled it back to make sense for a regular amount of people. Additionally, crab is expensive. This recipe is designed to get the most out of all of the other elements of the bisque so that you actually end up using a small amount of crab. It will smell and taste like crab bisque before you add any crab to it. 

• If you want a bisque that is teeming with crab, double the amount called for. Either way it is important that you use the highest quality crab you can find. It will make a significant difference to the finished product. 

• This is one of those soups that benefits exponentially from a night’s rest. If you can, prepare it the day before serving it. 

SHERRY CRAB BISQUE 

4 tbsp. butter
2 shallots diced
6 carrots diced
2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
3 oz. tomato paste
4 tbsp. flour
1½ cups dry sherry
4 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 16-oz. can lump crab meat
1 quarts heavy cream 

In a Dutch oven over medium heat add butter then shallots and carrots. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the shallots and carrots are soft. Add Old Bay seasoning and tomato paste. Stir to combine and continue to stir occasionally for two minutes to cook out any tinny taste from the tomato paste. Add flour and stir to combine until the flour is completely absorbed. Add sherry and chicken stock and stir. The mixture should thicken significantly. When the carrots are completely softened, transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until it is completely smooth and no lumps remain. Over medium low heat, return the blended ingredients to the Dutch oven and add fish sauce, crab, and cream. Salt to taste. Simmer the bisque on low heat for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with a tablespoon of sherry, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice. Serve with a drizzle of cream or sherry and chives or scallions. Another great garnish option would be gussied up oyster crackers.

TOASTED SEASONED OYSTER CRACKERS

2 cups oyster crackers
3 tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt 

Heat oven to 350°. Toss crackers in butter and spices. Spread crackers out on a sheet tray and bake for 7 minutes, stir crackers, turn the sheet tray around and bake for 5-7 more minutes. Set the tray on the counter to cool and then go ahead and snack on them and put them on your soup. These crackers are simple and delicious and can add a little impressive something extra to just about any soup. 

Christmas is just two days which is somewhat hard to believe but also very exciting. I can guarantee your friends and family would be very happy and impressed if you served them some crab bisque. I’d like to acknowledge and thank Damon Young for including me in his beautiful article in the Washington Post this week. It was an incredible Christmas gift to me. I am honored to have Damon as a customer and while we are not necessarily personal friends we do live in the same neighborhood which is enough criteria for me to consider him my best friend. So, thanks, bestie. Love you.

I hope you all have a beautiful wonderful Christmas and New Years. I chose to migrate north to my parent’s house early in anticipation of the impending weather and it was definitely a wise decision. We woke up this morning to a magnificent snow storm and I could not be more pleased about it. If you’re also up in this storm, I hope you’re equally stoked about it. If you’re not stoked about it, I hope you’re doing Christmas in LA. Happy Merry.

Love yinz
-the BMer