Shrimp bisque recipe: creamy, rich and ready in 40 minutes

19 hours ago

3 min read

Bowl of creamy orange shrimp bisque garnished with whole shrimp, cream swirl and fresh chives

40 minutes, one pot, built on a real shrimp stock

What separates a real bisque from pink cream soup is the shells. Save them, toast them in butter for five minutes, and simmer them into a quick stock while you build the base. It adds ten minutes to the recipe and transforms it completely — the finished bowl tastes like something that took half a day.

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Why this one works

The shells are free flavour you would otherwise throw in the bin.
Tomato paste cooked until it darkens gives the bisque its colour and depth without tasting of tomato.
Blending the base and adding the shrimp afterwards means the shrimp stay plump instead of turning to rubber.

At a glance

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 bowls
Protein: 34g per serving
Calories: 498 per serving

Ingredients

Quick shrimp stock

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1 1/2 lb (680g) shell-on raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf

Bisque base

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

To finish

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
Chopped chives
A few whole shrimp, reserved for garnish

Instructions

Toast the shells. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a pot over medium-high and add the reserved shrimp shells. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until they turn deep coral and smell sweet and toasted. This is the step that makes it a bisque.
Simmer the stock. Add the water or broth and the bay leaf, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing hard on the shells, and discard them. You should have about 3 cups.
Soften the vegetables. In a clean pot, melt 3 tbsp butter over medium. Add the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic for one more minute.
Darken the tomato paste. Add the tomato paste, smoked paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the paste turns brick red and starts to stick. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for another minute.
Deglaze and simmer. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom clean, letting it reduce by half. Add the strained shrimp stock gradually, whisking to keep it smooth. Simmer 10 minutes.
Blend until silky. Blend the base with an immersion blender, or in a countertop blender in batches with the lid vented. For a truly restaurant texture, pass it through a fine sieve back into the pot.
Cook the shrimp last. Set 4 whole shrimp aside for garnish and roughly chop the rest. Bring the bisque to a bare simmer, add the chopped shrimp and cook 3 minutes only, until just pink and opaque. Add the garnish shrimp for the last 2 minutes.
Finish. Stir in the cream and lemon juice off the heat. Taste and salt it properly. Ladle into bowls, top each with a whole shrimp and a scatter of chives.

Notes and swaps

Already-peeled shrimp will work, but buy a handful of shell-on if you possibly can — the stock is the whole point.
Do not boil it after the cream goes in or it can split. Gentle steam only.
It keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat slowly and expect to add a splash of broth.