Crawfish Bisque
By Vallery LomasPublished on February 9, 2026
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 small onion, chopped fine2 celery ribs, sliced thin½ small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine1 teaspoon table salt, divided2 tablespoons tomato paste 6 garlic cloves, minced1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 1½ teapoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning 2 bay leaves ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup dry white wine 4 cups seafood stock 2 (12-ounce) packages frozen crawfish tail meat with fat, thawed, divided6 scallions, sliced thin3 tablespoons heavy cream Lemon wedges Hot sauce
Before You Begin
Salt amounts vary from brand to brand in seafood stock, so be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Instructions
- Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in ½ cup flour, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is deep brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in 1 finely chopped small onion; 2 thinly sliced celery ribs; ½ small red bell pepper, finely chopped; and ½ teaspoon table salt and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 7 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 6 minced garlic cloves, 1½ teaspoons Old Bay, 1½ teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, 2 bay leaves, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup white wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in 4 cups seafood stock and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Add 1 thawed 12-ounce package frozen crawfish tail meat with fat. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are completely tender and broth has reduced slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves. Stir in 6 thinly sliced scallions. Using immersion blender (or working in batches with countertop blender), blend bisque until smooth, about 1 minute. Add remaining thawed 12-ounce package frozen crawfish tail meat with fat and heat until warmed through, about 5 more minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons cream. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce and season with pepper to taste.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, sliced thin
½ small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1½ teapoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
2 bay leaves
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups seafood stock
2 (12-ounce) packages frozen crawfish tail meat with fat, thawed, divided
6 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Lemon wedges
Hot sauce
Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, sliced thin
½ small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1½ teapoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
2 bay leaves
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups seafood stock
2 (12-ounce) packages frozen crawfish tail meat with fat, thawed, divided
6 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Lemon wedges
Hot sauce
Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, sliced thin
½ small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1½ teapoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
2 bay leaves
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups seafood stock
2 (12-ounce) packages frozen crawfish tail meat with fat, thawed, divided
6 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Lemon wedges
Hot sauce
Why This Recipe Works
For a rich and creamy crawfish bisque, we start by building a deep brown roux, giving the soup a complex, roasty flavor, velvety body, and strong color. Using frozen crawfish meat streamlines the process, eliminating the need to steam and clean the tiny crustaceans. We puree half of the crawfish into the bisque for an intense seafood flavor and creamy thickness throughout.
Before You Begin
Salt amounts vary from brand to brand in seafood stock, so be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Instructions
- Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in ½ cup flour, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is deep brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in 1 finely chopped small onion; 2 thinly sliced celery ribs; ½ small red bell pepper, finely chopped; and ½ teaspoon table salt and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 7 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 6 minced garlic cloves, 1½ teaspoons Old Bay, 1½ teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, 2 bay leaves, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup white wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in 4 cups seafood stock and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Add 1 thawed 12-ounce package frozen crawfish tail meat with fat. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are completely tender and broth has reduced slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves. Stir in 6 thinly sliced scallions. Using immersion blender (or working in batches with countertop blender), blend bisque until smooth, about 1 minute. Add remaining thawed 12-ounce package frozen crawfish tail meat with fat and heat until warmed through, about 5 more minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons cream. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce and season with pepper to taste.
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