Crab Bisque with Avocado, Tomato & Corn Relish

Name: Crab Bisque with Avocado, Tomato & Corn Relish
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 small avocado, finely diced; 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen, thawed; 1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced; 1 tablespoon lime juice; ¼ teaspoon salt; Freshly ground pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen, thawed; 1 cup chopped onion; 1 cup diced yellow bell pepper; 1 ½ cups diced peeled russet potato; 3/4 teaspoon sweet or hot smoked paprika (see Note), plus more for garnish; 1 cup dry sherry (see Note); 2 cups seafood stock or broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups low-fat milk; 12 ounces crabmeat (see Tip), drained if necessary; ½ teaspoon salt

Rating: 3.82 stars

11 Ratings
4 Reviews

Our light version of classic crab bisque gets its creaminess from a combination of low-fat milk plus pureed vegetables and potatoes. The tangy, chunky relish provides a textural and flavor contrast to the smoky, rich-tasting bisque. Serve with crusty whole-grain rolls and some extra wedges of lime for squeezing.

Jim Romanoff

Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook

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Recipe Summary

total:

50 mins

Servings:

Nutrition Profile:

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
To prepare relish: Combine avocado, corn, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the bisque.

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Step 2
To prepare bisque: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add corn, onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion and pepper have softened, about 5 minutes. Add potato and paprika and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add stock (or broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 3
Working in two batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the puree to the saucepan; stir in milk, crab and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve each portion of bisque with about 1/4 cup relish; sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.

Tips

Ingredient Notes: Smoked paprika is made from ground smoke-dried red peppers. It's available in some large supermarkets with other spices.

Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don't use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets--it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, get dry sherry that's sold with other fortified wines at your wine or liquor store.

Tips: To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand an ear of corn on one end and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife.

Crabmeat (already removed from the shell) can be purchased canned, in shelf-stable pouches, frozen or pasteurized. Pasteurized usually has the best flavor; look for it in the fresh seafood section of the market. Crabs from both the U.S. and Canada are considered good choices for the environment.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: about 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup relish

Per Serving:

219 calories; protein 14.9g; carbohydrates 21.1g; dietary fiber 3.9g; sugars 7.6g; fat 7.2g; saturated fat 1.4g; cholesterol 35.4mg; vitamin a iu 543.6IU; vitamin c 47.4mg; folate 73.1mcg; calcium 119.1mg; iron 1mg; magnesium 67.4mg; potassium 750.5mg; sodium 469.1mg; thiamin 0.2mg.

Exchanges:

1 1/2 lean protein, 1 fat, 1/2 lowfat milk, 1/2 starch, 1/2 vegetable

Reviews (4)

Read More Reviews

11 Ratings

5 star values: 5
4 star values: 3
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 2

Reviews: Most Helpful

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EatingWell User

10/29/2011

This recipe is very simple and elegant. The flavors are really mellow in the bisque and very bold in the relish. The cold and the hot textures are complimentary. This made quite a lot of bisque and is more filling than you might think. Would be perfect with a salad for dinner. Pros: Cons: Read More

jayjayharding@gmail.com

01/16/2012

Very bland and disappointing I found this recipe a few months ago and had been waiting to try it out. We were so disappointed. Even after adding extra paprika white pepper and some salt the bisque was extremely bland. As other reviewers stated the relish adds the flavor but it isn't enough to save this dish. I'm disappointed that I wasted perfectly good crab on soup we threw out because no one in my family will even eat it. Usually Eating Well has amazing recipes but this one was a huge bust. I really don't understand the good reviews. I will say though the relish is amazing when used in a different way. It's great paired with celery or even served on romaine lettuce leaves as an appetizer or snack. Read More

EatingWell User

10/30/2011

This tasted so rich and decadent...totally worth springing for the crab meat. The relish really makes this so don't skip on this....since DH and I can not eat 8 servings...I took 1/2 of the puree before I added the milk and crab and froze it ( and it did fine) then I reheated it and added the cup of milk and 6 ounces of the crab....even Dh who is not a big fan of Crab loved this soup Read More

tjensen

04/07/2012

Pleasantly Surprised! It wasn't what I was expecting but I adore this soup! It's delicious and healthy low calories and filling. I just started a healthy meal plan this was my first dinner and it was fantastic. I hope the rest of my meals are this great! Read More

EatingWell User

01/30/2012

Disappointing Disappointing. It might be the unsalted chicken broth that made this tasteless. Maybe some old bay or seasoned salt can save it. Adding more pepper paprika and even some tobasco didn't really help. Read More

EatingWell User

10/30/2011

really good and also the relish is simple yet amazing. The relish also adds a lot of flavor just spoon it on top in the center and take a little with each spoonful - don't mix it all together with the rest of the bisque. The boyfriend thinks adding a little white pepper at the end to taste is good. Also ensure to use dry sherry as opposed to cooking sherry. Read More

mrscrazyed

12/27/2012

Too hot or too bland Followed the suggestion of one of the reviewers and used hot paprika instead of sweet for additional flavor. Wowee did it add spice! Way too much spice! Fortunately I tasted the broth before adding the crab. Started over using sweet paprika -- totally bland. DH ended up playing with it (something he's quite good at). He added a couple of different spices and a splash of lemon juice. (He wasn't away of the relish at all let alone that it contained lime.) Once he was finished it was just alright. But the relish is a keeper. If nothing else it'll be wonderful on Bibb lettuce as an appetizer. Pros: Great relish Cons: Awful soup Read More

EatingWell User

01/03/2014

Overall the soup was fine. It didn't get enough flavor even by adding more spices. In the end we tried to add some spice to make it a bit hotter and add a kick to the soup.. The bisque was also way too thick i would probably add more broth or leave the potatoes out to make it lighter and not as creamy. Pros: Simple Cons: Too Thick Read More

EatingWell User

12/24/2011

This really is a great recipe. What others have said is absolutely correct. The bisque has a nice mild flavor (I added twice the hot paprika for some heat). The relish is the star here. I made a triple batch of it and will be pairing it with chicken breast and fish the rest of the week! Read More