Crab bisque with Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Relish

I had a big bowl of this and now I am completely satisfied and in a seafood coma. I was reluctant on the salsa but the contrast of cool and hot was nice. The acid in the salsa and the creaminess of the avocado paired nicely with the richness of the bisque. I used 16 ounces of crab instead of 12 because that's how the container came. Plus, you can't really go wrong adding extra crab.

Makes: Makes 8 servings, about 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup relish each
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS
RELISH
1 small avocado, finely diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tips) or frozen, thawed
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

BISQUE
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tips) or frozen, thawed
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 cups diced peeled russet potato
3/4 teaspoon sweet or hot smoked paprika (see Notes), plus more for garnish
1 cup dry sherry (see Notes)
2 cups seafood stock or broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups low-fat milk
12 ounces crabmeat (see Tips), drained if necessary
1/2 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION
To prepare relish:
Combine avocado, corn, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl; gently toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the bisque.

To prepare bisque:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add corn, onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion and pepper have softened, about 5 minutes. Add potato and paprika and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add stock (or broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Working in two batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the puree to the saucepan; stir in milk, crab and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve each portion of bisque with about 1/4 cup relish; sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.

TIPS & NOTES
Ingredient Notes: Smoked paprika is made from ground smoke-dried red peppers. It’s available in some large supermarkets with other spices and at tienda.com.
Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don’t use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, get dry sherry that’s sold with other fortified wines at your wine or liquor store.
Tips: To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand an ear of corn on one end and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife.
Crabmeat (already removed from the shell) can be purchased canned, in shelf-stable pouches, frozen or pasteurized. Pasteurized usually has the best flavor; look for it in the fresh seafood section of the market. Crabs from both the U.S. and Canada are considered good choices for the environment.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 230 calories; 7 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 35 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 16 g protein; 4 g fiber; 441 mg sodium; 719 mg potassium.