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.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Additional Soup Recipes:
Provencal Soupe au Pistou
A traditional soup filled with tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, and more can be served for lunch with a fresh loaf of bread!
Check out this recipe
Soupe au Pistou
A delicious soup in the middle of summer with lots of broth is surprisingly refreshing. Important: Pistou should never be cooked. It should be added to the soup as a finishing touch for flavouring before serving once the pot is off the heat.
Check out this recipe
Chilled Tomato Gazpacho Soup
Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and more blended together. You will need a good blender, a sieve and some patience but otherwise, this is such an easy recipe. No cooking required!
Check out this recipe
French Onion Soup
Bring a taste of Paris to your home dining experience. Bon appétit!
Check out this recipe
Provencal Chickpea Soup (Fourmade)
Easy to master: Provencal chickpea soup is so surprisingly rich and luxurious tasting that even my 9-year-old son is convinced it has cream.
Check out this recipeLegal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
Blackberry and Rosé Cocktail Shaken not StirredRelated Provence Articles
Lavender Roasted Apricots for a Delicious and Quick Summer Dessert
August 15, 2025
Apricots are abundant in the Provence markets in the summer months. The delicious dessert with lavender-roasted apricots below comes from ElsaLenthal.com and has been republished with her permission. Apricots: Summer Stonefruit Apricots are stonefruit (Latin: Prunus sect. Armeniaca) related to plums. The fruit grows on a small tree, about the same size as an olive …
Eating My Way Through Provence My Favourite Restaurants in Les Alpilles
August 4, 2025
If you really want to get to know a place, start with what’s on the plate. During my recent trip through Provence, I followed my appetite across markets, bistros, and white-tablecloth restaurants — and each meal felt like a little window into the region’s soul. The food wasn’t just delicious; it was rooted. Honest. The …
Simple Seafood Dish Shrimp in a Sweet Paprika Sauce
July 28, 2025
During our trip to Paris, I created this easy seafood dish after a trip to the Les Halles market. I used three vendors: Poissonnerie Chez Miguel for the excellent shrimp — their array of seafood was so fresh and beautiful (with thanks for allowing me to use the photo above of the shrimp); I bought …
Summer Soup Gazpacho with Goat Cheese Recipe from Moulin Castelas
July 22, 2025
If you’d like to taste some of the best olive oil in Provence, look no further than the Moulin Castelas, situated just below the famous fortress of Les Baux-de-Provence. The olive mill and adjacent property are in the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) Vallée des Baux de Provence in the Alpilles. This recipe for a perfect …
No Comment