Description
This Spiced Seafood Bisque with Sesame Prawn Croutons is a rich and creamy French-inspired soup featuring a perfectly balanced blend of smoked paprika, cayenne, and fresh seafood flavors. The bisque combines shrimp and white fish simmered in a spiced tomato and seafood stock base, enriched with cream, and topped with crispy, flavorful sesame prawn croutons for an elegant touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Bisque
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups fish or seafood stock
- Shrimp shells from ½ pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ pound white fish fillets (cod or haddock)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Sesame Prawn Croutons
- ½ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 small baguette, sliced
- Vegetable oil for pan-frying
Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, diced carrot, and diced celery. Sauté the mixture until the vegetables soften and become fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add spices and tomato paste: Stir in smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes to toast the spices and deepen the flavors.
- Make the roux and deglaze: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat and cook out the raw flavor, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the white wine while stirring constantly, deglazing the pot and combining all ingredients.
- Add stock and simmer: Add the fish or seafood stock, reserved shrimp shells, bay leaf, and dried thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes to develop the bisque’s flavor.
- Strain and blend: Remove and discard the shrimp shells and bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or working in batches in a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return to the pot.
- Finish the bisque: Stir in the heavy cream, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the raw shrimp and white fish fillets to the soup, and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the seafood is cooked through.
- Prepare the prawn croutons: In a food processor or blender, combine raw shrimp, grated ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg white, and panko breadcrumbs. Blend until a coarse paste forms.
- Assemble and pan-fry croutons: Spread the shrimp paste evenly onto the sliced baguette pieces. Sprinkle each with sesame seeds. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat, and pan-fry the baguette slices, paste side down, until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Serve: Ladle the hot seafood bisque into bowls and top each with several sesame prawn croutons. Serve immediately and enjoy the delightful combination of creamy soup and crunchy, flavorful croutons.
Notes
- Swap shrimp shells with lobster or crab shells for a richer, deeper seafood flavor in the bisque.
- You can prepare the soup base ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it before adding the fresh seafood for convenience.
- Adjust the spiciness by reducing the cayenne pepper according to your preference.
