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Shrimp Bisque –
Bisque is a shellfish based cream soup. Bisque differs from chowder or a stew in that bisque is smooth and usually strained where-as chowder will contain diced vegetables as well as chunks of meat or seafood. Generally bisque is made from a highly concentrated stock and is very rich in flavor. All cream soups are ruined with boiling so take special care while handling this soup.
All restaurants serve shrimp cocktail so all restaurants have a shrimp stock on hand from time to time. I would suggest that you not waste your shrimp by chopping it and adding it to the soup. I would make this Bisque as a utilization of a by-product of shrimp cocktail which is the shrimp stock. A far better way to enjoy your investment would be to prepare a shrimp cocktail appetizer including the seafood sauces you can find on this web site followed by a second course of classic Shrimp Bisque.
Preparation Time: Approx. 100 minutes
Yield: About ½ gallon or 8 servings
Shrimp Bisque Ingredients:
2 lbs. peeled and de-veined shrimp and the shells
¼ lbs. Butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup tomato puree
2 cubes chicken bouillon
8 peppercorns
3 ribs of celery
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins
1 teaspoon dry dill weed
1 pint light cream
Method:
In a large stockpot, combine chopped onions, celery stalks, peppercorns, bouillon cubes, and salt with 1 gallon of cold water and bring the water to a boil. Place the peeled shrimp in a cheesecloth bag and poach until the shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp rinse with cold water and cover. Add the shrimp shells to the boiling stock, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the stock has reduced by half.
In a separate stockpot, melt the butter, then add the flour to the butter making a roux. Cook the roux over a medium heat for about 1 minute while continually whisking. Add the tomato puree and cook for an additional minute.
Strain the shrimp stock through a fine sieve. Add the shrimp stock a ½ cup at a time while whisking smooth. When the soup reaches the consistency of a gravy, reduce the heat and add the salt, Lea & Perrins, the white pepper, and the dill weed and simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring.
Slowly add the light cream while stirring and bring the soup back to temperature. Adjust the seasoning. Serve at once.
Author Chef Peter Rego
credit PhotoCuisine / Aubergine Studio
