Souper Saturday

“Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... That's, that's about it.”
-Bubba Blue AKA Mykelti Williamson

Hi! Today's soup recipe is one of my favorites! It may look a bit daunting, but as long as you read through the recipe first you should not have any problems! I find that you can substitute lobster for the shrimp and it tastes even better (in my humble opinion). Enjoy!


Shrimp Bisque
Servings: 11 Cups

Ingredients:

* 1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled & shells reserved
* 5 Tbsp butter
* 5 Tbsp olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup mirepoix (carrots, celery & onion) finely diced
* 1 1/2 cups tomatoes with basil, canned
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 64 ounces seafood stock
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 pint heavy cream
* 1/2 cup sherry
* Sea Salt to taste

Equipment Needed:

* Hand-held blender,
* 2 stockpots or large pans
* Extra-fine mesh strainer

Directions:

Make bisque base:

1.) Place butter and vegetable oil to one stockpot on high.
2.) Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
3.) Add shrimp shells to the pot.
4.) Stir in mirepoix & cook about 2 min, until veggies are soft.
5.) Add tomatoes; cook, stirring, 3-4 min.
6.) Add flour and cayenne & cook, stirring occasionally, 4-6 min.
7.) Stir in wine to loosen browned bits on bottom of stockpot.
8.) Add seafood stock and bring to simmer on medium.
9.) Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 min.
10.) Remove from heat & puree with hand-held blender until smooth.
11.) Set bisque base aside.

Shrimp:

1.) Pour olive oil to second stockpot on med-high.
2.) Add shrimp & cook, stirring, about 3 min, until they change color.
3.) Strain bisque base into second stockpot, remove all solids, including shells.
4.) Discard solids.
5.) Stir well to combine shrimp and bisque base.
6.) Set aside.

Final Step:

1.) Mix heavy cream and sherry in first stockpot.
2.) Stir in shrimp/bisque mixture.
3.) Cook on medium, stirring occasionally, 2-3 min, until heated through.
4.) Season to taste with sea salt.
5.) Ladle into bowls and serve.


Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!