Creamy (But Cream Free!) Shrimp Bisque

If you’ve ever had the torture joy of listening to public radio during a fund drive, you’ll know they like to talk about *driveway moments.* You know, when you’ve reached your driveway but you’re just so wrapped up in the story that you can’t pull yourself away to go into the house. Those radio folks seem to think they happen like DAILY for listeners, but I’m not so convinced–in all of my time listening to public radio I think I’ve had exactly one–for this story in 2005. And I didn’t just stay in my driveway for that one. No, I sat in a parking garage, crying, and missing my grad class. Okay, I’m getting a little teared up now thinking about it.

But now, I can add a second to my list. It was a few Sundays ago and Noel and I were driving home from the gym. It was lunchtime. The Splendid Table was on. Noel and I were both slipping into that post-workout, low blood sugar haze when suddenly, something pulled us out. Lynne Rosetta Casper was going on about a woman who writes for the New York Times and her lusty tastes.

They were chatting, about thrifty mothers and using shrimp shells to make stock. But something about the way they described the process and the final product pulled Noel and I in. We reached our street and parked the car, but neither one of us jumped out to head into the house.

As we listened to Melissa and Lynne–somehow I realized the woman’s name was Melissa–I became totally consumed with the idea of this bisque. They described it as creamy but light, because there was no actual cream in the recipe. And I didn’t even know you could make seafood stock. Then I remembered–I had seen shrimp on sale at the store the day before. I turned to Noel and said “I think I know what we’re having for dinner.” Noel agreed without any discussion–he was under the spell too.

Creamy (But Cream Free!) Shrimp Bisque
Adapted from Melissa Clark, via the Splendid Table

I thought about calling this post Amazing Creamy (But Cream Free!) Shrimp Bisque. Why? Because between the rice and all of the veggies that you add to this soup, it’s amazingly creamy and hearty without giving you that too heavy feeling that you get with a lot of bisques. The shrimp stock and the butter give this soup a rich taste without overwhelming it, and the fennel lends a nice undertone to the flavor. We loved this, and had a big bowl of it for dinner with a generous hunk of whole grain crusty bread.

Ingredients:
1 lb medium or large shrimp, shelled, shells reserved (this is slightly annoying, but worth it in the end)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons brandy
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 large leeks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped, fronds reserved for garnish
1/4 cup long-grain rice (I used basmati)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pinch cayenne
Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.

In a stock pot over high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter then add shrimp shells and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add wine and brandy and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add 6 cups of water and the thyme and bay leaf and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, strain the liquid into a bowl into a bowl, pressing on the shells before discarding them.

In the same pot, melt another 2 tablespoons butter with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the peeled shrimp and sauté until they are pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending on size. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl, leaving as much of the cooking butter in the pot as possible.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pot with the celery, leeks, garlic, and fennel and saute until softened but not yet beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, tomato paste, cayenne, and remaining salt and sauté for 2 minutes. Add shrimp stock and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Set aside 4 to 6 nice shrimp and add the remainder into bisque; cook for 2 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender if you don’t have a magic stick!) puree soup until it is nice and creamy, or leave it a little chunky if you’d rather. We made our silky smooth. Stir in the fresh squeezed lemon juice and additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each bowl with a couple of shrimp and a piece of fennel frond.

And dig in, because at this point you’ve been smelling cooking shrimp for about an hour, so you’re probably craving shrimp like a mad person. This recipe won’t disappoint!

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