The shrimp bisque is often confused with fish stock, but it is actually a true creamy soup. Typical of French cuisine it is made from shrimp leftovers (heads and shells). I prepare it every time I have leftovers from other preparations.
The bisque is also perfect for flavoring recipes such as:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 2 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 355.20 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 39.94 (g) of which sugars 14.11 (g)
- Proteins 24.35 (g)
- Fat 10.76 (g) of which saturated 0.77 (g)of which unsaturated 0.25 (g)
- Fibers 6.90 (g)
- Sodium 392.15 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 9 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people
- 10 shrimp (heads and shells)
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
- 1 white onion
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- as needed flour
- as needed fresh garlic
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps fresh liquid cream
- 8.5 cups water
- 1 oz dry white wine
- as needed parsley
Tools
- 1 Pot 3 quarts
- 1 Strainer fine mesh
- 1 ladle
Preparation
Preparing a good shrimp bisque is quite simple, to enhance the flavor of the shrimp I recommend freezing the heads and shells before roasting them.
Use only quality products; I recommend pink, red, or purple shrimp but avoid frozen silver ones, the result would not be up to par. The best results are obtained with fresh and not frozen shrimp (red, purple, or pink).
Set a pot on the stove over high heat, add a drizzle of oil, the garlic clove, and bring to temperature.
When the oil is hot, add the shells and heads and cook over high heat until they are completely thawed, releasing a reddish base in the pan.
Add the carrot, celery, and onion coarsely chopped and toast them with the shrimp.
Pour the white wine over the shells and heads to deglaze the pan, this step serves to further extract the flavor of the shellfish.
Allow to toast in the pan for a couple of minutes taking care to crush the heads as much as possible with the spoon to release further flavor.
Add water and boil over medium heat, the liquid should simmer gently. For intense flavor, you can add ice instead of water.
Tip: You will see foam appear, these are impurities present in the broth, remove it with a spoon or skimmer.
When the mixture has reduced by half, strain through a fine mesh strainer and keep only the broth. Put it back in the pot with the cream and tomatoes and cook over very low heat until the tomatoes are pulpy and the cream is thick and rich.
You can make the bisque thicker by adding some flour. To avoid lumps, mix the flour with a couple of tablespoons of shrimp bisque until you get a liquid batter and then add it to the pot during cooking.
The bisque with flour must be cooked for at least 5-6 minutes to thicken and to cook the flour, which would otherwise be raw.
At the end of cooking adjust the salt, add a drizzle of oil, and then turn off the heat.
Your shrimp bisque is ready!
Serving Suggestions:
Serve in a deep dish with some pan-fried shrimp tails, some seasoned croutons with thyme or garlic, and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
Which wine to pair with the shrimp bisque:
I recommend pairing the shrimp or shellfish bisque with a white wine with a strong flavor, such as a Vermentino di Gallura.
