Cream of Shrimp Soup My Velouté de Crevettes Recipe
David Scott Allen · Provencal Recipes · Soup · TasteI always think of cream soup as being one of the most elegant starters for a special meal. However, cream soups can be a little tricky to perfect. Getting today’s soup just right has taken me a few tries. Checking many sources and heeding their advice, rice was used as a thickener. But neither of us liked the texture much, and one guest even asked what made the soup grainy. Um, no thanks. I want my velouté to be as smooth as velvet — not thick and stodgy. So, I am happy to share my Velouté de Crevettes recipe with you. Continue reading here for the original Cocoa & Lavender article and photos.
Velouté de Crevettes (Cream of Shrimp Soup)
If you are craving soup this creamy shrimp soup will leave you satisfied!
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb Shrimp in shells
- 1/2 juice lemon
- 3 shallot(s) minced
- 2 large carrots cut into small dice
- 6 tbsp butter divided
- 1 tsp thyme leaves fresh and chopped
- 1 tsp tarragon fresh and chopped
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp piment d’Espelette or more to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup Cognac
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 cups chicken broth light
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup heavy cream (35%)
- parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Shell shrimp and devein; reserve the shells. Sprinkle the shrimp with lemon juice; refrigerate.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the shallots and carrot; cook until vegetables are soft and shallots are clear. Add the thyme, tarragon, sweet paprika, piment d’Espelette, and shrimp shells. Cook for five minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, add tomato paste, mix well and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cognac and flambé. Lower the heat and add the white wine when the flames have subsided. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until the liquid has thickened a bit — about 3 minutes. Strain this shrimp base into a large stock pot and add the broth. Add the reserved shelled shrimp and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a brisk simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour the shrimp and broth into a blender, and blend until completely smooth. Strain back into the pot and discard solids. Reheat the soup for 2 to 3 minutes. Work together the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour (beurre manié), whisk it into the soup, and then add the cream. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
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