Oyster Artichoke Bisque
Submitted by jazzparr
Oyster artichoke bisque is a classic Louisiana creole soup: fresh oysters, artichoke bottoms, bacon, and heavy cream simmered with the holy trinity for a rich silky bowl.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is a true Louisiana creole classic, the kind of bisque that appears on New Orleans menus alongside turtle soup and étouffée. Fresh oysters simmer in their own liquor with the creole holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, then scraped artichoke bottoms and pulp fold through to make it silky without the need for flour.
The flavor base is built on crumbled bacon and its drippings. When the oysters go in, they curl and release a gray-tinged liquid that forms the savory backbone, simmering down into something mineral and deeply briny. Fresh basil brings an unexpected herbal lift that brightens all that richness.
Cream goes in at the end, a half-pint at a time, so the soup comes back to a gentle boil each pass. This keeps the bisque from breaking. And go easy on the salt, oysters are already salty on their own and the bacon adds more.
Chef Tips
- Stir constantly once the oyster liquor goes in. It scorches easily on the bottom of the pot and ruins the whole bisque with that burnt-seafood note.
- Taste before salting. Between the oysters, their liquor, and the bacon, the soup often needs no added salt. Over-salting this bisque is almost impossible to fix.
- Let it rest 15 minutes off the heat before serving. The flavors marry and deepen, and the bisque thickens slightly as it cools.
Variations
- Add a splash of dry sherry or Pernod with the cream for extra New Orleans flair.
- Stir in ¼ teaspoon cayenne for a proper creole kick.
- Finish each bowl with a crumble of crispy bacon and fresh chives for texture and color contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt the butter in a 5-qt Dutch oven and sauté the onions, celery and bell pepper until they soften.
Toss in the bacon, the drippings and the chopped oysters and simmer gently over low heat, stirring constantly, until the oysters curl and a rich gray-colored base forms.
Drop in the artichoke pulp and bottoms and blend them well into the mixture.
Stir in the oyster liquor and the artichoke cooking stock.
Bring it to a boil, but be sure to keep stirring or the oyster liquor will scorch and stick to the bottom of the pot.
Boil for about 4 minutes.
Stir in the basil, reduce the heat to simmer and let the bisque cook slowly for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the cream, a half-pint at a time, and turn the fire back up to high!
When the mixture comes back to a boil, reduce the heat again so that the bisque just barely bubbles and add the salt and pepper.
Taste before adding the salt as the oysters contain a lot of salt.
After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and allow it to set up for 15 minutes so that the flavors blend.
Serve, garnished with parsley.
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