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My easy, Creamy Shrimp Bisque Recipe is a perfect holiday meal or Sunday night dinner! I make it every year over the holidays for my family, and everyone who tries it raves about it.
This easy shrimp bisque recipe uses simple ingredients, takes less than an hour to make, and is easy to make ahead of time and reheat. It’s a perfect stress-free starter to a holiday meal.
Easy Shrimp Bisque Recipe
I have to tell you, this is the best recipe for shrimp bisque you will ever try. Trust me, it’s a keeper. I have the ingredients and instructions for this dish written down in a family cookbook of recipes and am so excited to share it with you.
The first time I made this seafood bisque recipe, I knew it would be an instant classic and a regular around the holiday table.
My family raves about it, my friends rave about it – everyone who tries this dish loves my bisque recipe!
Family Foodie Tip: You can top it off with crispy prosciutto or candied bacon, and you have the best soup around.
What is bisque?
It is a creamy soup recipe, usually using shellfish like shrimp, lobster, or crab.
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You could use prawns for a prawn bisque, lobster for a lobster bisque, or even crab for a crab bisque. Any of your favorite seafood will work in this recipe, even your favorite fish.
Langoustine or prawn bisque are other great choices to experiment with.
What makes a bisque different from soup?
A bisque is a thick, creamy type of soup usually made with seafood. Many soups are thickened with flour, a bisque is always made to be thick and creamy by adding cream early and reducing it. This is where the creaminess comes from!
The difference is that bisque is a type of soup with a specific definition. It is a soup – it’s just a type of seafood soup, like chowder!
Bisque vs. Chowder
Bisque is smooth and decadent. Chowder is thick and chunky. Traditionally, chowder is filled with pieces of vegetables and seafood.
I love any seafood soup recipe, so I’m a big fan of chowder, too. Try my favorite New England Seafood Chowder recipe – you can make it a shrimp chowder, a crab chowder, or any mix you want, and it tastes amazing!
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Yes, you can! Both fresh or frozen shrimp work really well in this recipe. Just make sure to defrost the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight.
How long does shrimp bisque keep?
Fresh shrimp bisque will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. It’s a perfect dish for making ahead for a party.
Can I freeze shrimp bisque?
Yes. After cooking the shrimp bisque soup, allow it to cool. Add it to a covered, airtight container (or multiple containers or freezer bags) and store it in the freezer for up to 4 months.
How to Reheat Bisque
You can reheat your shrimp bisque in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Microwave in 1 minute intervals until heated through. Stir well between intervals.
- Reheat on the stove over low heat until heated through, stirring well while it heats.
What goes with seafood bisque?
⭐ Family Foodie Tips
- Make sure you are constantly stirring throughout making the bisque. This keeps everything consistent and prevents burning.
- Mix ingredients slowly when adding flour and dairy ingredients like half & half and Parmesan.
- Turning the heat down and allowing the bisque to cool a bit before adding the half & half will prevent it from curdling.
📖 My Favorite Seafood Recipes
Check out our Shrimp Bisque Web Story!
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below to let us know what you think! We love to hear from you!
💬 Reviews
See what our readers are saying on Pinterest:
This recipe is awesome, and it’s easy to make! Delish!
Heather
This was really amazing. The broth is great. I added some corn starch, before adding the cream… made it a little thicker, otherwise it would have been too thin for us. Wonderful recipe.
Lisa
Turned out pretty good! I didn’t do the bacon but I’m sure that’d be a good addition. I also didn’t have celery so I used green peppers instead. I also added a can of tomato paste and half and half to get a thicker/creamier consistency. I had some imitation crab on hand so I threw that in there too. Even my kiddos liked it, so I think its a win 😉
Alisha
Added some chopped shrimp for garnish. This was delicious and we all loved it.
Lila
I seasoned with Old Bay. Pretty good. I halved the recipe and it still made enough to feed an army.
Bonita
This might be my favorite recipe I’ve made in Pinterest. Super good! Everyone loved it.
Misty
Shrimp Bisque Recipe
🍳 Equipment
🥘 Ingredients
- ½ stick butter
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. garlic minced or paste (about 2 cloves if minced)
- 2 lbs. shrimp chopped
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup white wine
- 64 oz. chicken broth
- 2 cups half & half
- ½ cup Parmesan
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Candied bacon pieces (optional for topping)
🔪 Instructions
- Heat a deep soup pot over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and swirl it around to evenly distribute it.
- Add 2 finely chopped celery stalks and 2 Tbsp. garlic (minced or paste) and saute for about 3 minutes.
- Add 2 lbs. chopped shrimp.
- Add 2 finely chopped green onions and saute both for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Melt ½ stick butter in the pot and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Spread 3 Tbsp. flour over the ingredients in the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Pour in 1 cup white wine while continuously stirring. Let it simmer and thicken. When it is thick enough, it will take longer to pool back to the center of the pot when pushed with a spatula.
- Add 2 cups of tomato sauce and let it bubble and thicken while continuing to stir.
- Once it thickens, add 64 oz. chicken broth and let it simmer. Turn the heat to low and wait for it to cool off somewhat.
- Add in 2 cups half & half SLOWLY while stirring for about 1 minute!
- Sprinkle in ½ cup of Parmesan SLOWLY while continuing to stir for about 2 minutes!
- Turn heat back to medium and let the soup sit until it starts to bubble. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and serve!
Video
Notes
- Stir constantly: Make sure you are constantly stirring throughout making the bisque. This keeps everything consistent and prevents burning.
- Especially with dairy: Stirring is especially important when adding dry ingredients like flour and dairy ingredients like half & half and Parmesan.
- Turn the heat down: Turning the heat down and allowing the bisque to lower in heat before adding the half & half will prevent it from curdling.
- Adding candied bacon: I like to top my shrimp bisque with bits of candied bacon. The recipe for my candied bacon is linked in-post!
- Serve with bread and shrimp: Serve with a slice of crusty toasted bread and cooked shrimp coated in a little bit of cayenne. Yum!
Vera says
This recipe reminded me so much of my grandma. She makes the best Shrimp Bisque (Literally). This is mostly how she makes hers. I am wondering why mine doesn’t taste as hers, even after religiously following her guidelines. Could you have any explanation for this?
I will use this recipe guide and see what I come up with.
Thanks for sharing
Em Beitel says
Vera, this is such a lovely comment. Thank you for leaving it for us. There is something special about the way grandmas make our food for us – even when we follow their recipe word for word, it just isn’t the same! I don’t know about your grandma, but I do know that mine almost never writes what she does down completely. There’s always a little something that people don’t realize they’re doing when they cook. Or it could just be knowing that it was made with love that makes it taste that much better.
I hope you love this recipe! I bet your grandma’s version tastes incredible.
Angela Allison says
Wow! This was incredible! Tastes just like something I’d get at a fancy restaurant. So good!
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Angela! It’s one of my personal favorites. The last time I had it I wound up drinking the rest straight out of the bowl when I couldn’t get more on my spoon!
Pamela says
This shrimp chowder looks so creamy and delicious!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Pamela!
Matt @ Plating Pixels says
Love soups and this looks way easier than I though it would be. Can’t wait to make this!
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Matt! Bisque is surprisingly easy, right?
Amanda says
This bisque looks delicious! I actually have some homemade seafood stock in the freezer, so now I have the perfect recipe to use some of that up.
Em Beitel says
Awesome, Amanda! We know you’ll love it! Thank you!
Janice Nylund says
Very very good and easy to make! I’ve never made a bisque because I thought it would be too complicated but I was very wrong. Question…I have some cooked salmon, can I add that or even lobster to it?
Em Beitel says
Hi Janice! Yes, any seafood or fish will work great with this recipe! That sounds amazing. Thank you for your comment!