Behind the French Menu: Bisques and Seafood Bisques on French Menus

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

A crab bisque.

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Bisques began as rich fish soups, changing with the years to pureed shellfish soups that may include white wine, fresh cream, or crème fraîche; however, if the fish's texture is right, a fish bisque may still be on the menu. Shellfish bisques can be distinguished by their texture and then vegetable bisques and bisque sauces with the right textures were added to many menus.

A few of the bisques that may be on your menu:

Bisque de Crevettes – A shrimp bisque.

Bisque d'Écrevisses – A crayfish bisque.

Bisque de Homard - A lobster bisque.

Bisque de Tomate de Vigne Grillée – A tomato bisque made with grilled vine tomatoes, only partly pureed so that a bisque texture remains.

Shrimp bisque

Photograph courtesy of Zarleenalin

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Bisque de Rascasse et sa Rouille - A bisque made with the scorpionfish (sea robin) fish: served with a spicy rouille sauce on the side. You add the rouille to your taste. The rascasse is one of France’s tastiest and firm-fleshed fish caught in the Meditteranean and also an essential part of a real Bouillabaisse. Unlike a real scorpion fish, it has no stinger in its tail, rather it has poisonous spines; fishermen and women pick them out of the net wearing gloves.

Red Scorpion fish.

Photograph courtesy of Yellow.Cat FF

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Bisque de Tomate de Vigne Grillée – Grilled vine tomatoes partly very roughly pureed, flavored with herbs and made into a bisque with added white wine and crème fraiche.

Chefs know they need to create interest for new dishes, especially dishes that use ingredients prepared differently, Here are grilled vine tomatoes presented in a manner rarely seen in bisques. The chef has inferred a connection to the texture of a seafood bisque and that will have French diners thinking, wondering and then, probably try it.

A Tomato bisque.

Photograph courtesy of Ernesto Andrade

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At this point, I should emphasize how educated French diners are. They begin learning to appreciate food at an early age. In State-run schools, there is a three-course meal every day, accompanied only by water. The meal must take a minimum of thirty minutes and the children know what they are eating.

Adding crème fraîche

Photograph courtesy of Joy

www.flickr.com/photos/joyosity/9686979521/

Bisque d'étrilles - A bisque made with the crabe étrille also called the crabe batailler.
This is a small but tasty crab, the velvet swimming crab. While they are one of those tastiest crabs they are considered too small to be served on their own as they are rarely more than 7 cms (3") across and 50% of that is the shell. Nevertheless, unnamed on most menus, the velvet swimming crab is used to add flavor to crab soups and or fish soups. In this menu listing these tasty, small, crabs are honored by being offered in a soup where they play the leading role. (The most popular crab in France is the larger edible crabe tourteau, the edible brown crab).