Crab Bisque (World Class) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 lbs snow crab legs
4 liters water
1 small onion
1 1/2 stalks celery
2 garlic cloves
2 medium potatoes
1/4 cup Italian parsley
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon pimiento
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon marjoram

Preparation

Remove all the crab meat from shells and set aside.
Put half the shells into a large pot with 4 litres of water.
Rough chop onions, 1 stalk celery and garlic and add to pot with shells.
Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
After boiling, strain and save stock, discard shells, onion, celery and garlic.
Measure 12 cups of prepared stock into large pot. (add water to make volume reach 12 cups).
Peel and cube potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
Dice pimento into 1/4 inch cubes.
Add potatoes, pimento, 1/2 of the crab meat and all the remaining ingredients to the pot.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for 4 hours until volume has reduced by half and mixture starts to thicken.
Add remaining crab meat to pot and simmer uncovered for another hour, until soup is very thick.
Serve hot.