Shrimp Bisque

By Addie

I enjoy both Cajun and Mexican cuisine, and this rich, elegant soup combines the best of both. I serve it with a crispy green salad and glass of white wine for a simple but very special meal.—Karen Harris, Castle Rock, Colorado

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons sodium-free chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Fresh cilantro, cubed avocado and additonal shrimp, optional

Preparation

Step 1

In a small saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour until blended. Stir in the water, cream, chili powder, bouillon, cumin and coriander; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cut shrimp into bite-size pieces; add to soup. Simmer 5 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Gradually stir 1/2 cup hot soup into sour cream; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Heat through (do not boil). Garnish with cilantro, avocado and additional shrimp if desired. Yield: 3 cups.
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REVIEWS:

I made this to take to a Girls Ceasar Salad Night and it was a huge hit! I let my 17 yr. old son try it before I left and he said that it was the best soup he had ever eaten. Needless to say he was less than thrilled that I left the house with it for others to indulge. The only changes I made were instead of using the whipping cream, full sour cream and uncooked shrimp, I did use half and half, light sour cream and cooked shrimp which I threw in towards the end just to heat up. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

I did not add the chili powder. My husband asked to have it again. Very good.

We absolutely love this soup and I always double it because I don't want to find another use for the leftover cream and the flavors are blended even better the second day. I don't let is stay in the refrigerator longer than about 2 days after serving because of the shrimp. I nearly always used cooked peeled shrimp and just add them a little later in the cooking process since they just need to get warmed up.

Excellent bisque. Easy to make, even if you are a new cook. I substituted no fat 1/2 and 1/2 for the heavy cream and used low fat sour cream, it was still thick and creamy. My husband who is not a soup fan, asked for 2nds, to me that said it all, is definetly a keeper recipe.