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Shrimp Bisque Recipe

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4.75 from 8 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Yield 4 cups (serves 4 as a small main or 2 as a full meal)
Category Soup
Cuisine French/American
Author Lauren Grant

Description

A rich and creamy shrimp bisque that's just as decadent as the classic while still be fairly light. This recipe features a homemade shrimp stock and whole milk.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound extra-jumbo (16/20) shell-on shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cup into ¾-inch chunks; shells reserved
  • ½ cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
  • ½ cup diced carrot (1 large carrot)
  • ½ cup chopped shallot (1 large shallot)
  • kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • ½ cup dry vermouth
  • 2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk, divided
  • ½ teaspoon Tabasco + more for serving, optional
  • Fresh chives or scallions and red pepper flakes, for serving

Instructions

  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add reserved shrimp shells (from 1 pound shrimp) and cook until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup celery, ½ cup carrot and ½ cup shallot; season with salt and cook until beginning to soften, 5 minutes.
  • Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 4 thyme sprigs, and 2 dried bay leaves; cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with ½ cup vermouth, scraping up any browned bits; cook 1 minute.
  • Add 2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice and ½ cup water; bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
  • Transfer reduced mixture to blender, add 1 cup milk and blend until completely smooth, at least 1 minute.
  • Pour soup through fine-mesh strainer back into Dutch oven or large pot, pressing on solids to extract soup. Discard solids.
  • Stir in remaining 1 ½ cups milk; bring soup to simmer over medium heat. Stir in 1 pound diced shrimp and ½ teaspoon Tabasco, if using, and simmer until shrimp are cooked through, 2–3 minutes.
  • Season with additional salt and Tabasco to taste. Serve with chives, Tabasco and/or red pepper flakes.

Video

Notes

Make it more decadent: If you prefer an uber-decadent shrimp bisque, feel free to substitute half-and-half or cream for the whole milk.
Don't boil: Once you've added the milk, keep the soup at a low simmer. Any vigorous boiling can make the milk separate.
Serving: Once you add the shrimp, it's go-time for serving. Add the shrimp, cook for 2 minutes, then start serving. If you let the shrimp hang out in the soup too long, it will become overcooked.
Make ahead: If you would like to prep this ahead of time, we recommend following the recipe up until the point where you add the raw shrimp (step 6). Store the creamy soup base in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before reheating and finishing the recipe as directed.
Storing leftovers: If you have leftovers, store them in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove top just until warmed through. Keep an eye on it—you want to avoid overcooking the shrimp

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 30gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 246mgSodium: 1783mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10g
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