Oyster and Wild Rice Bisque

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Use Wellfleet oysters from Cape Cod, if possible. Reminiscent of chowder, this bisque is a touch lighter, filled out with wild rice rather than the more common potatoes. Use salt porkan old New England favoritefor bacon, if you prefer.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 bacon slices, chopped
- 2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
- 2 cups shucked oysters, undrained
- 1 cup clam juice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Preparation
1. Cook bacon in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat 6 minutes or until crisp. Stir in onion; cover and cook 8 minutes or until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Strain oysters through a sieve over a bowl. Reserve oysters; add oyster liquid to pan. Combine clam juice and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add clam juice mixture, broth, and bay leaf to pan. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 6 minutes).
3. Reduce heat to low. Discard bay leaf. Stir in rice, milk, half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in reserved oysters; cook 5 minutes or until edges of oysters curl. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Nutritional Information
- Calories:
- 141 (33% from fat)
- Fat:
- 5.2g (sat 2.1g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.8g)
- Protein:
- 8.2g
- Carbohydrate:
- 15.5g
- Fiber:
- 1.3g
- Cholesterol:
- 43mg
- Iron:
- 4.6mg
- Sodium:
- 357mg
- Calcium:
- 91mg
Member Ratings and Reviews
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Very good flavor. Made as directed, but for some reason it curdled when I added the oysters. Still tasted good. Next time, will leave out the rice -- my family didn't care for it.11/15/09
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Very good flavor --- easy to prepare. I made a couple of changes -- used 1% milk, added about 1/2 C whole corn, some fresh thyme and used Chicken of the Sea canned oysters -- I can imagine how wonderful the bisque must be using fresh oysters, but canned is what I had in the pantry. I think the soup base would be good with clams as one reviewer noted using. We had the bisque with grilled cheese & tomato sandwiches. Quick, but tasty meal.01/12/09




