The word "bisque" originally derived from the Bay of Biscay. but the crustaceans are certainly bis cuites which means "twice cooked" for they are first sautéed lightly in their shells, then simmered in wine and aromatic ingredients, before being strained, followed by the addition of cream.
The term "bisque is also sometimes used to refer to cream-based soups that do not contain seafood, in which the pre-cooked ingredients are pureed in a food processor. Common types of non-seafood bisque include tomato, mushroom, squash and red pepper.
This cookbook contains a wide variety of delicious bisque soup recipes.