Description
This Spiced Seafood Bisque with Sesame Prawn Croutons is a luxurious French-inspired soup that combines a creamy, flavorful seafood broth with tender shrimp and fish. Accented by smoked paprika, cayenne, and finished with a touch of cream, the bisque offers a rich and comforting taste experience. The dish is topped with crispy sesame prawn croutons, adding a delightful crunchy texture and aromatic notes of ginger and sesame. Perfect for a special meal or an elegant starter, this recipe balances spice, creaminess, and seafood freshness in every bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
For the 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 reserved from ½ pound raw shrimp
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ pound white fish fillets (such as cod or haddock)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For the 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 Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, diced carrot, and diced celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add Spices and Tomato Paste: Stir in the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes to develop the flavors, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Make the Roux and Deglaze: Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat everything evenly. Slowly pour in the dry white wine while stirring continuously to prevent lumps and to deglaze the pot.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Pour in the fish or seafood stock. Add the reserved shrimp shells, bay leaf, and dried thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes to extract maximum flavor.
- Strain and Blend Soup: Remove and discard the shrimp shells and bay leaf from the pot. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, carefully blend in batches with a regular blender until velvety.
- Finish Soup Base: Return the blended soup to the pot. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Warm the soup gently over low heat.
- Cook Seafood in Soup: Add the raw shrimp and white fish fillets to the soup. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the seafood is fully cooked and tender.
- Prepare Sesame Prawn Croutons Mixture: In a food processor or blender, combine the peeled and deveined shrimp, grated ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg white, and panko breadcrumbs. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse paste with some texture remaining.
- Assemble and Cook Croutons: Spread a layer of the prawn paste evenly onto each baguette slice. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the croutons face-down until golden brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes, then remove.
- Serve: Ladle the hot spiced seafood bisque into bowls and top each serving with several sesame prawn croutons. Serve immediately for the best texture and flavor.
Notes
- For a deeper seafood flavor, substitute shrimp shells with lobster or crab shells in the stock.
- You can prepare the soup base ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it before adding the seafood for convenience.
- Adjust the spice level by reducing or omitting the cayenne pepper if you prefer a milder bisque.
- Be careful not to overcook the seafood in the bisque to keep it tender and juicy.
- Use a gentle hand when blending to avoid over-pureeing and losing some texture if preferred.