Bisque (food)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other meanings of the word bisque, see Bisque.
Bisque is a highly-seasoned thick, creamy soup, classically of puréed crustaceans, 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 "twice cooked", 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). Seafood bisque is traditionally served in a low two-handled cup on a saucer or in a mug.
Bisque is also sometimes used to refer to cream-based soups that do not contain seafood, in which the ingredients are pureed or processed in a food processor or a food mill. Common varieties include tomato, mushroom, and squash bisque.
