Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, in the shell
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and rinsed well
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, trimmed, peeled and halved
- 2 celery sticks, cut into big chunks
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- freshly chopped chives, for garnish
Preparation
Step 1
Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells; stick the shrimp into the fridge until it's time to eat. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off a couple of pieces of orange zest and grate the remining zest. Cover and refrigerate the grated zest.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and melt the butter into it. Add the shrimp shells, leeks, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaf, strips of orange zest, tomato paste and cayenne. Cook, stirring every now and then until the shells are red and the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
Take the pot off the heat and carefully pour in the brandy. Return the pot to medium heat, cook for a minute more, then sprinkle in the flour, give it a stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Now, add enough water to cover and deglaze, scraping up everything off the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low and simmer gently until the soup is reduced and thickened, 30 to 45 minutes. Strain into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper.
When you are ready to serve, return the bisque to a simmer, add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just to cook the shrimp through. Give the bisque a final taste for seasoning, pour into warm bowl and garnish with the reserved orange zest and the chives.