4 minute read
Sea Fare
BY JAMES O. FRAIOLI / PHOTO BY CHARITY BURGGRAAF
Bowled Over
Creamy, velvety smooth, and packed with luscious king crab, this beautiful bisque from CHEF JOHN WAHLKE and FREMONT MISCHIEF DISTILLERY is sure to combat the winter chill.
Here’s a rich, smooth, and creamy bisque—just one of many memorable recipes that will be featured later this year in Spirited Cooking from the Pacific Northwest, the cookbook I assembled with Chef John Wahlke and owners Mike and Patti Sherlock of Fremont Mischief Distillery. This delicious and comforting bisque—perfect for those cold winter months—is filled with rich crab flavor and accompanied by homemade pickled peppers. Like many of the enjoyable dishes prepared at Mischief, this hearty bowl of goodness is fancy enough to serve for a special occasion but easy enough to appreciate as a weeknight dinner in your galley. Vegetables, cream, stock, and a handful of spices make up the king crab soup, which is much thinner than a chowder. If you’re not familiar, a bisque is a type of soup, but not all soups are bisques. Traditionally, a bisque uses stock or broth and has a creamier base than soup. According to Chef John, the trick with this recipe is to blend and strain, resulting in the velvety smooth texture we’re after.
King Crab Bisque with Pickled Red Peppers
Serves 4 to 6
2 tablespoons oil King crab shells from 2 large legs, roughly chopped or broken 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 2 onions, peeled and chopped 4 shallots, peeled and chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2 cups dry white wine Sachet of 3 bay leaves and 4 fresh thyme sprigs 2 ½ quarts vegetable stock or water 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons mustard powder 1 cup half-and-half, divided King crab meat, as needed, picked 12–18 (or 3 slices per bowl) Pickled Pepper slices, recipe follows
In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the king crab shells, stirring often to not scorch the oil. Add the carrots, onions, shallots, celery, and garlic. Sauté while stirring occasionally until the onions and shallots are translucent. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and allow the wine to reduce by half. Add the sachet along with the vegetable stock or water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer. Add the salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder. Stir to combine then simmer the stock for 1 to 2 hours, or until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove the sachet and transfer the stock, vegetables, and shells (6 ounces at a time) to a kitchen blender (about half full). Blend, starting slow as the liquid is hot, slowly increasing the speed. Blend until smooth. Then add 1 ounce of half-and-half for every 6 ounces of stock (or one batch). Continue blending and adding the half-and-half in batches until you have blended all the soup. Then strain the blended soup through a fine mesh strainer or chinois. Before serving, reheat the soup (160°F), but do not bring to a boil. Check the seasoning then transfer to serving bowls garnished with a generous amount of king crab meat and sliced peppers.
Pickled Peppers
Makes 1 pint
1 quart apple cider vinegar ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup salt 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 cup water ½ pound fresh Fresno chili peppers
In a large pot over high heat, add the vinegar, sugar, salt, thyme, and water, and bring to a boil. While waiting for the liquid to boil, slice the peppers. Transfer to a glass canning jar. When the liquid has come to a boil, remove from heat and carefully pour over the peppers in the jar while still hot. Cover the container with either plastic or a lid and let stand out at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating. Sealed peppers will last about 1 month in the refrigerator.
A James Beard Award–winning cookbook and cocktail author with more than 40 published titles to his credit, Fraioli’s books have been featured on Ellen and the Food Network, and in Vogue, People, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He resides in Bellevue, but keeps his sportfishing boat (a 28-foot Albin) in beautiful Anacortes, the gateway to his beloved San Juan Islands. Have a cookbook idea or project in mind? Email james@culinarybookcreations.com.
