Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque - Seriously Soupy

One of my soupy goals for 2011 is to make a Lobster Bisque, a creamy and delicious soup that I have enjoyed for years at restaurants but never attempted because it seemed too difficult. After making soups for over a year, I don't think any soup is impossible anymore (even though some can still seem challenging) and decided to try a variation of a Lobster Bisque by using some shrimp that I had at home. Still hoping to make Lobster Bisque in a few weeks, this Shrimp Bisque included carrots, leeks, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, chives, garlic, non-fat, thick Greek yogurt (I didn't have heavy cream), and some delicious lobster stock from Brooklyn Bouillon that really enhanced the flavors and actually made the soup pretty healthy (as opposed to the rich cream and butter used in most bisques). The addition of parsley, dill, and red pepper flakes also give the soup a nice kick in this delicious and comforting creamy-fish soup.

Rue of celery, stock, onions, garlic and leeks

Shrimp Bisque
Ingredients:
3 cups of water
3 stalks of celery, chopped up
1 sweet potato, chopped up
Dab of butter - use your discretion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
Lobster stock 
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 can of tomato paste
1 leek, cut up (white part only)
3 carrots, cut up
1/4 teaspoon of dried dill
1 bunch of fresh parsley - about a handful
1 pound of shrimp
1/3 cup of flour
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt such as Fage 
1 lemon, squeezed
1 chive, cut up
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Cut up the chives, onions, garlic, leeks and celery. Add butter to a deep pan and let melt. Add the chives, onions, garlic, leeks, celery and stock. Let soften and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, dill, red pepper flakes, parsley, water and cut up the carrots and sweet potatoes and add them to the pot. Add the yogurt and flour, stirring periodically and add more water (if necessary). Add the shrimp and lemon and let cook for another 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, mix and taste. Add the soup to a blender and mix. Enjoy!

Yellow Curry and Coconut Milk Shrimp Soup

Yellow Curry and Coconut Milk Shrimp Soup - Seriously Soupy

After reading Grub Street's the best 38 soups in NYC, I really wanted to create a replica of the Singapore Kari Laksa - a soup from Taste Good, a southeast Asian restaurant in Elmhurst, Queens.  Using Dari Litchman's Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Soup recipe as a base, I also added yellow curry, coconut milk, green onions, red chilies and shrimp that included a subtle kick and some sweetness. Although I don't actually know what the soup from Taste Good actually tastes like, I really enjoyed the attempt of replicating their winning recipe - even if all I had to work with was a picture. 

Yellow Curry and Coconut Milk Shrimp Soup

Ingredients:
can of lite coconut milk
1 cup of yellow curry
3 cups of water
1 cup of frozen shrimp
Bunch of fresh basil - about a handful
ginger, peeled and minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 stalks of green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of curry powder
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 package of noodles
1 cup of fresh spinach
1/4 cup of edamame
can of baby corn
drizzle of sesame oil


Directions: 
Drizzle some sesame oil into a medium-sized pot. Chop up the garlic and green onions and add them into the put. Turn the flame on low. Add the water, ginger, coconut milk, basil, and yellow curry and let cook for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, red pepper flakes, curry powder and cover. Taste and add the noodles, corn and edamame and let cook for another 20 minutes. Add the spinach last. Pour into a bowl and enjoy. 


Seriously Soupy Serena