Shrimp bisque recipe by Chef Pharrell of Artful Chefs
Shrimp bisque is a recipe classic and if prepared with traditional ingredients and technique, is AMAZING! It is a show stopper and never fails to impress.
Shrimp bisque when served with a great bottle of wine and buttery baguettes; doesn’t need much else except maybe a simple salad to start. I hope you enjoy making this recipe. It will take some time and effort to prepare. With plenty of dirty pots and pans and lots of prep work. The result will be a delicious, creamy, rich flavored shrimp base that is sweet and savory. The color is beautiful and very dramatic when plated properly. Prepare this for any special occasion and you will not be disappointed.
Shrimp Bisque
| Category: | Soup, French| Seafood or Shellfish | ||
| Yield: | 12 servings of 1.5 cup | ||
| Preparation time: | 60 minutes | ||
| Total time: | 2 hours | ||
| Source: | Artful Chefs | ||
| Ingredients: | |||
| Stock Ingredients: | |||
| 1 tablespoon | safflower oil | ||
| 1 cup | sweet onions, large diced | ||
| 1 cup | celery – large dice | ||
| 1 cup | carrots – large dice | ||
| 1 tablespoon | kosher salt | ||
| 1 teaspoon | whole black peppercorns | ||
| 1 | lemon – halved | ||
| 4 quarts | water | ||
| .5 pound | shrimp shells – reserve the shrimp shells | ||
| 5 sprigs | fresh thyme | ||
| 4 | bay leaves | ||
| 6 cloves | garlic, whole clove – peeled | ||
| Shrimp Bisque Ingredients: | |||
| 1 tablespoon | safflower oil | ||
| 2 cups | sweet onions, minced | ||
| 1 cup | celery – minced | ||
| 2 1/2 teaspoons | kosher salt | ||
| 3/4 teaspoon | cayenne pepper | ||
| 1 tablespoon | fresh oregano leaves | ||
| 1 tablespoon | fresh thyme leaves | ||
| 1 tablespoon | fresh basil leaves | ||
| 3 tablespoons | fresh tarragon leaves | ||
| 2 | bay leaves | ||
| 3 tablespoons | tomato paste | ||
| 1 cup | brandy | ||
| 1/4 cup | unsalted butter – at room temperature | ||
| 1/4 cup | AP flour | ||
| 1/2 cup | heavy cream | ||
| 2 pounds | 16 count shrimp, peeled – deveined, and medium chopped (shells reserved for stock) | ||
| 1/2 cup | green scallions – chopped (green part only) | ||
| 1/2 cup | fresh flat leaf parsley – chopped | ||
| Garnish: | |||
| 2 pounds | 16 count shrimp – deveined, cut in large chunk and leave some whole (shells reserved for stock) | ||
| 1 tablespoon | olive oil | ||
| 1 tablespoon | butter, unsalted | ||
| 2 | garlic cloves | ||
| 1 tablespoon | minced chives | ||
| 1/4 cup | crème fraiche – for garnish | ||
| 1 teaspoon | milk – to thin the crème | ||
Start the broth for the shrimp bisque. Prepare the shrimp by removing the shells and keeping the shrimp on ice. Rinse the shells in a colander under clean running water and reserve for the stock. Keep shells and shrimp separately in covered containers in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the stock:
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Squeeze the lemon halves over the pot and add the lemon shells. Add the water, shrimp shells, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the stock. Set aside. You can do this the day before if you wish.
To make the Bisque: Prepare mirepoix. In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the herbs, tomato paste, and brandy and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.
Prepare a beurre manie by combining the softened butter and flour in a small bowl and kneading it with your fingers until you have a smooth paste. Add the butter mixture a tablespoon at a time to the pot, whisking after each addition. Cook for 5 minutes, then slowly pour in the cream, whisking constantly. Add the shrimp and stir to mix. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the soup garnish with a sauté of the shrimp cut into large chunks, in a little olive oil over medium heat. Turn the shrimp after 2 minutes and add the butter, garlic and fresh minced chives. Stir the pan to coat the garlic. After one minute, begin to toss the shrimp and the garlic a few times until the shrimp is solid pink and solid white all the way through. (Not over 2 minutes or the shrimp will be rubbery). Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Finally, thin the crème fraiche by adding it to a small cup and stirring in a small amount of milk. Place the crème in a small piping bag and remove just a small piece of the tip just before you are ready to plate the soup.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley. Ladle into soup bowls. After wiping any excess from the rim, carefully add 1/4 cup of the chunk shrimp to the middle of the soup so that it sits on top of the soup. With a piping bag, pipe dots all around the soup at the top of the edge of the bowl
Serve immediately.
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