Bisque (food)

:For other meanings of the word bisque, see Bisque.

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Bisque is a highly-seasoned thick, creamy soup of puréed shellfish, of French origin. It can be made from lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish. It is thought the name is derived from Biscay, as in Bay of Biscay, but the crustaceans are certainly bis cuites "cooked twice", for they are first sautéed lightly in their shells, then simmered in wine and aromatic ingredients, before being puréed. Bisque is a method of extracting every bit of flavor from imperfect crustaceans not good enough to send to market; if the shells are not ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup, it is not really a bisque. Julia Child even remarked, "Do not wash anything off until the soup is done because you will be using the same utensils repeatedly and you don't want any marvelous tidbits of flavor losing themselves down the drain." (with Simone Beck, Mastering the Art of French Cooking vol II 1970)

Related Topics:
Soup - Purée - French - Lobster - Crab - Shrimp - Crayfish - Bay of Biscay - Julia Child

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Pretty pieces of the shellfish are set aside and garnish the dish. Bisque is served in a low two-handled cup on a saucer or in a mug.

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