Greendale Crab Bisque Recipe

Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, reduce the heat and add the prepared onion, celery, carrot and fennel to the pan, along with the bay leaf. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened but have not yet taken on any colour. Next, crush the garlic cloves into the pan, stir in the tomato purée and the paprika and continue cooking for another five minutes or so. Add the white wine to the pan and turn the heat up to medium, stirring and letting the wine bubble off for a minute or two, then add the crab meat and the hot fish stock and cook gently for a further 10 minutes. Stir regularly, and turn the heat down a bit if you are worried about the bisque catching on the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat, remove the bay leaf and let the bisque cool a little, then use a stick blender to blend to a smooth consistency (or pour the bisque carefully into a food processor and blend until smooth). Get another large saucepan ready, and strain the bisque into it through a sieve. Stir in the cream, then put the pan back on a gentle heat to warm it up again. Season to your taste with salt, pepper and the lemon juice – if you don’t need all the juice, any extra can be frozen in an ice-cube tray for future use.

To serve, ladle the bisque into two bowls and top with a small swirl of double cream and the reserved fennel fronds.