Shrimp Recipes | Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque

Thanks to my friend Chef Jerry for passing this one along. If you are a soup lover, this one will probably be right up your alley. Jerry said he based this on a Tyler Florence recipe. Tyler, like most of his fellow native South Carolinians, knows his

seafood, so Chef Jerry couldn’t have picked a much better starting point.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 .5 pounds of shrimp. (Shell, de-vein. Hang on to the shells)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (8 teaspoons)
  • 2 leeks trimmed and split in half lengthwise. (Rinse well!)
  • 3 stalks of fresh celery chopped into large chunks
  • 2 peeled carrots cut into large chunks
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 strips of orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1/4 of a cup of brandy
  • 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  • 4 cups of heavy cream
  • Sea salt (Kosher will do) and freshly cracked black pepper
  • Grate some orange zest (finely) and chop some fresh chives for a nice garnish. Purely optional, but a nice touch.

DIRECTIONS

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Melt the butter into it. Then add the shrimp shells, the carrots, celery, leeks, thyme, the bay leaf, orange zest and tomato paste. Cook – stirring every now and then — until the shrimp shells are red and the veggies are soft. Should take around 10 minutes or so.

Be careful here. And pay attention the instruction to take the pot off of the fire and carefully pour the brandy into the pot. (Really. Take it off of the fire. A liquor spill or fumes near the fire will cause a big problem roughly 99.7% of the time.) 

Now, preferably with a long match, light the brandy. Wait for the flames to die. Place the pot back on the burner and sprinkle the flout into the pot, stir it and let is cook for two minutes more. Next, add water to cover the deglaze while scraping up the fond (brown stuff that adds flava!) of the pot. Now add the cream and bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn down the heat right away to a low simmer until your bisque has thickened. That will take 30 to 45 minutes. One you have achieved a creamy thickness, pour the soup through a strainer and into a clean pot. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, chop the shrimp, return the bisque to a simmer and drop the shrimp into the pot to cook for two or three minutes. That’s all it will take to cook the shrimp. After a final taste — and seasoning adjustment, if it is needed – serve the deliciousness! Add orange zest and chive garnishes at this point.

That’s the way Chef Jerry did it. He loved it. I’m sure you will too. Especially if you like cram soups like She Crab Soup….another South Carolina Low Country favorite.

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