Hearty-Style Shrimp Bisque Inspired by Emeril and Ina

🦐 Hearty-Style Shrimp Bisque 🦐
Inspired by Emeril and Ina

With Emeril and Ina as inspiration, how could this Shrimp Bisque be anything short of fabulous?

Emeril Lagasse’s shrimp stock is robust and aromatic. In this recipe, another layer of depth is added by roasting the shrimp shells before making the stock. And not just any shrimp shells, but extra flavorful spot shrimp with some of their roe still attached. The result is a stock with a rich, deep color.

Ina Garten’s shrimp bisque is hearty and textured. She says in her video that she prefers a chunky-style to smooth, so she coarsely chops a shrimp and leek mixture flavored with both dry sherry and cognac in a food processor before adding it back to the creamy base.

Here, the bisque is garnished with extra-jumbo butterflied shrimp and complementary fresh thyme. Gulf shrimp aficionados are sure to be delighted…

Hearty-Style Shrimp Bisque Recipe

Shrimp Stock Inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spot shrimp shells
• 1 c. onion, rough chopped
• 1/2 c. celery, rough chopped
• 1/2 c. carrot, rough chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 t. black peppercorns
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 2 t. sea salt
• 3 bay leaves

Method

Roast shrimp shells on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Remove when they are deeply colored.

Place all the ingredients in a stock pot and cover with about 4 quarts of filtered water. Bring to a boil, skim any scum, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then strain. Discard solids.

Notes

Save and freeze shrimp shells from previous spot shrimp recipes, such as my Spot Shrimp Saffron Pea Risotto,  Fire-Roasted Aguachile with Shrimp and Crab,  and Camarones con Rajas.

This is a whole pound of shrimp shells, not shells from 1 lb. of shrimp as in Ina’s original recipe. Use 4 cups of stock for the bisque recipe, and freeze the rest.

Shrimp Bisque Inspired by Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and pale green parts, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail-off
• 1/2 c. cognac, divided
• 1/4 c. dry sherry
• 4 T. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. half and half
• 4 c. emeril’s shrimp stock
• 1/3 c. double concentrated tomato paste
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Method

Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Add leeks and cook until tender over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Then add cayenne and shrimp, and continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup of cognac and cook for one minute, then add 1/4 cup of sherry and continue to cook for 3 more minutes.

Remove from heat and let shrimp mixture cool slightly. Then process in a food processor to a coarse consistency. Leave shrimp mixture in the food processor.

In the same soup pot, melt butter over medium-low. Add flour and stir to combine, cooking the flour, stirring for about one minute. Add half and half and whisk until thickened for about 3 minutes.

Finally add the shrimp stock, coarse shrimp mixture, and tomato paste to the soup pot. Heat gently, stirring to incorporate the tomato paste, do not boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more cognac.

To Serve

• jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail-on
• salt and pepper
• butter
• thyme
• cognac

Butterfly the shrimp by cutting down the back about three-quarters of the way into the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a sauté pan. Place the shrimp in the pan, cut-side down. Cook undisturbed as the tails curl upward. Finish cooking the shrimp by briefly laying the shrimp on each side.

Ladle bisque into warm bowls. Arrange shrimp in the bisque. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Serve a shot of cognac on the side, either to add to the bisque or to sip while enjoying this Hearty-Style Shrimp Bisque Inspired by Emeril and Ina!

Notes

These are wild-caught Gulf Brown Shrimp, a product of the USA, extra jumbo 16 – 20 count per pound. They are sustainably caught in the nutrient-rich waters off the coast of Texas and Louisiana. They have a sweet flavor and firm texture.

Update

An elegant version of this “Shrimp Bisque with Old Bay Croutons” is now posted, here! 🦐🌺🦐