This rich and creamy Crawfish Bisque is the perfect quick meal for weeknight dinners, packed full flavor with the perfect amount of heat, this crawfish soup is on the table in 30 minutes!

Typically, the difference between a soup and a bisque is the use of cream. Bisque is usually made with a seafood stock and cream and is pureed to a creamy consistency.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Making a roux first helps to give the bisque that rich and creamy texture. If you’ve never made a roux, check out this post on How To Make a Roux for some great tips.

Blending the soup with an immersion blender gives it the smooth texture of a bisque.

Using tomato paste instead of tomatoes gives it the perfect amount of rich tomato flavor without the bulk of using tomatoes.

Adding cream at the end helps to bring the bisque together with an extra layer of richness.

INGREDIENTS

Crawfish is obviously the main ingredient for this recipe. You will need one pound of crawfish tails. I have a market near me that sells packages of crawfish tail meat, which is super convenient.

If you can’t get the tail meat, many seafood counters have whole crawfish. You can buy that and just remove the tails and peel them. I do like this option as you can make crawfish stock with the shells which is just incredible!

Seafood stock: This can be fish, shrimp, crawfish, lobster, or any other seafood stock. If you don’t have fresh, this Better Than Bouillon Lobster base in a great alternative

Cajun/Creole seasoning

HOW TO MAKE CRAWFISH BISQUE

Heat the butter and flour in a dutch oven over medium heat, stirring continuously to make a light brown roux (3-5 minutes).

Butter and flour (roux) cooking in a pot

Add the onion, garlic and green pepper and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.

Then add the tomato paste and sherry and cook for 1-2 minutes.

The mixture will be thick:

Add the Cajun seasoning, tarragon and seafood/fish stock slowly, stirring while adding a little at a time to ensure the roux doesn’t get lumpy. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, remove the soup from the heat and blend in batches. Place blended soup back in the dutch oven and heat to a simmer. 

*Be careful when you blend hot liquid – the pressure from the heat can cause your blender lid to explode off, causing quite a mess.

Add the crawfish tails (reserving a few for serving if you’re fancy) and cream and simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Reserve a couple crawfish tails for serving if desired. Serve in bowls garnished with croutons, green onions and reserved crawfish tails.

EXPERT TIPS

When cooking the flour and butter to make a roux, make sure to stir constantly to prevent it from burning. It is done when it is a very light brown/cream color. It should take 3-5 minutes.

Make sure to add the WARMED seafood stock slowly to the mixture while stirring. This helps prevent lumps from forming.

When using the immersion blender, blend for 3-5 minutes, or until the soup is creamy. It’s ok if there are a few small chunky pieces.

If using a stand blender instead of an immersion blender, make sure to let the liquid cool slightly before blending; otherwise the heat can make the lid explode off causing a huge mess.

WHAT GOES WITH CRAWFISH BISQUE?

I like to serve this crawfish bisque with crusty pieces of French bread for dipping. Bisque is often served as a starter for a meal.