So my plan WAS to launch this as your next cozy winter meal that you must make.
But Mother Nature is ruining that! This warm gust of weather has been L-O-V-E-L-Y but so unexpected.
I’m still depressed about the soup and sweater weather, but I think I can be alone. People are eating this spring weather like crazy. It’s not that I blame them. I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to cozy time. Also, sidebar: I think it means our world is ending. I know. I’m cray.
The good (bad?) news is that I don’t think we’re entirely clear yet. Mother Nature is a… mother. She is fickle. I am afraid that we still have some cold days and nights in our future.
Let’s ignore the weather for a moment so I can go back to my original point: this cookie is amazing and should happen in your life as soon as possible. Plus, everything happens in a slow cooker or clay pot, making it totally appropriate for warmer climates. It will keep your kitchen pleasant and fresh.
My slow cooker
takes things a step further and allows me to sauté vegetables directly in the slow cooker, instead of turning on the stove and dirtying another pan.
It is LIFE CHANGING. Seriously. I’ve been cooking with it non-stop since I bought it earlier this year, much more than I normally used my slow cooker in the past. The sear/saute option changes the whole clay pot game.
any.
Dan and I are big fans of seafood cookies. In fact, if a variation of seafood bisque is on a menu, we almost always order it. Even if it doesn’t “go” with the rest of our food. It’s just a special kind of dish for us, especially since I rarely take the time to prepare it at home. That’s one of my rules when ordering: trying to eat so many things from the menu that I’m not ambitious enough to try in my own kitchen. It works well 99% of the time.
The thing is, seafood biscuit, when done right, can require a little extra love and work. It often involves boiling crustacean shells to infuse their broth. A lot of effort and warming up and overheating. I usually don’t have time for that.
My solution? Use very, very good fresh seafood and buy purchased seafood broth. Seriously. People will never notice the difference, as long as the seafood you’re using is fresh.
For this particular cookie, I went with shrimp and crab, two of our favorites. The shrimp are affordable and easy to find, and the crab… well… That’s the indulgent part of this dish. The giant crab costs a penny, but I think a little goes a long way. Also, people simply get excited when a crab appears on its bisque. And who can blame them? It is a very special ingredient that is definitely worth the price.
It also makes this cookie something special. The cookie itself is pretty straightforward. Vegetables, broth, aromatics simmering for a few hours (ah, and let’s not forget the sherry. VERY important). The shrimp and some of the crabs are added and poached until tender and perfect. Then comes the rest of the crab. In the form of a cold salad!
OK, I know it sounds a little strange to top a hot, rich, creamy soup with a cold crab salad, but this is one of those weird things you’ll have to rely on me. It works, people. It just does. The crab is lightly dressed (keyword!) with a mixture of mayonnaise, mustards, lemon and herbs and added to each bowl of soup just before serving. Add a fun and slightly spicy touch to the dish. Plus, it’s gorgeous!
Add a slightly different, weird
twist in a good way, on a fairly traditional seafood cookie, and now that I’ve become weird, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to come back.
In fact, it blends perfectly with this super weird weather we’re having.
Oh, and iced white wine and crispy baguette toast. Just saying.’
