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Shrimp Bisque- -12/14/13

A bisque is a rich, creamy soup made with shellfish such as  lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish.  Here I am making a shrimp bisque so I am using shrimp's shell. The shells are sautéed with vegetables and then simmered to produce a highly flavorful stock and then thickened with the addition of rice.  Once the stock is done it is pureed to a smooth texture.  Cognac and cream are added to intensify the flavor of the bisque before serving... I served the bisque with  2 sautéed shrimps per portion.   It takes over a pound of shrimps to make the soup so I have a lot of shrimps  left so I made shrimp/crab toast to go with the bisque.

The shrimp bisque came out to be really delicious, rich and flavorful.  The bread on the shrimp toasts was crunchy and the shrimp meat was satisfying.

 

This shrimp bisque is really packed with flavors and the color is vibrant and appetizing.

Close look at the bisque.

 

Preparation work..

Yield 6 full servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
1 Spanish onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped

1 leek, chopped
6 cups shrimp shells (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
 

 6 parsley sprigs
6 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf

9 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus as needed
1 cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper

Chop the onions, carrots, celery, and  leek.

Melt a 1/4 cup of the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, leek and cook.

 Keep stirring occasionally, until soft, about 12 minutes.

Rinse the shrimp shells and set aside.

Raise the heat to high then add the shrimp shells and rice, and stir.

Keep stirring until the shrimp shells is turning into a red in color, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 2 minutes more.

Remove the pot from the heat, pour in the 1/2 cup of the Cognac, return to a high heat and cook until almost dry, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Pour in the water and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt.

put the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf in the pot and bring to a boil.

Skim the impurities out of the pot and lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender.

Puree until smooth and pour the liquid into a strainer.

Strain the puree through a fine sieve into a pot and discard the solids.

Heat the bisque and let it simmer for another 20 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup butter, remaining 2 tablespoons Cognac, heavy cream, lemon juice, and cayenne into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Filed as: Salad/Soup

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