October 19th is National Seafood Bisque Day

If you're looking for something to do today then grab a spoon because it's National Seafood Bisque Day!

That's right; it's time for some thicky thick soup!

So let's get right into celebrating National Seafood Bisque Day!

Why is this a holiday?

Well, soup is very easy to ingest and it warms you from the inside out, so of course a lot of people love soup. But a soup is a bit more filling when it's not just broth and with bisque you get a really thick soup. So you have a soup that will fill you up and it's packed with seafood? Hmm... that brings it into its own little demographic of followers and I happen to be in that target demographic. When seafood lovers unite, out pops a holiday!

The word bisque comes from the words bis cuites which means twice cooked. And that's a pretty literal explanation as to what goes on with the seafood in the bisque. First you sauté the seafood in its shell and then you simmer it in things like a white wine, onions and butter. And at some point you're going to want to add in your cream to really give it a soupy texture and keep it nice and thick.

The most common types of seafood used are crab, crayfish, shrimp or lobster. And as you simmer it, the seafood breaks apart and is incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. So you don't really end up with big hunks of meat, unless you pop in whole shrimp as is. But some people will actually purée the seafood to be sure that it's a smooth and creamy soup.

Are you ready to eat?

So, how can you celebrate today?

Well, how many of you feel like relaxing today? If you raised your hand then head on out to a restaurant! But, you may want to call first to be sure that it's on the menu. I'm not saying it's a really rare dish but some places might not have it, so save yourself a little hassle and plan ahead. Because you won't do much relaxing if you get seated and then can't find seafood bisque on the menu.

But hey, you can always opt for a canned version. It's not going to be that fresh and it will have a lot of salt and preservatives in it, but it's easy! You might even be able to wow someone by quickly heating it up, tossing on a little garnish and serving it to them with a smile. But don't smile too much or they will realize something is up!

But why don't you just make some yourself? It's really not that hard to do since you can buy a lot of the seafood pre-cooked. That means to you get to skip the sautéing! Plus, you can pick out which type of seafood you want to include and you can add in a really fancy white wine too. You control what goes into your soup, so that ultimately you can control what goes into you. And if you're not a sneaky little canned soup trickster, then now would be the time to impress someone with your cooking skills!

Have a great day and elbows off the table!