This Delicious Shrimp Bisque is a wonderful entree, and accompanied with the Mushrooms Bruschettas topped with Onion Crisps is a complete meal on its own.
Winter is here and soups are the perfect companion for colds, damp, grey days. Soups is one of the most fundamental forms of food. It is nutritious, satisfying to eat, comforting and generally lean. It is easy to make and soups have been around for many years since the advent of fire. Evidence of soups is found back to year 20.000 BC.
When hearing the word soup, one thinks of a pot filled with ingredients boiling and producing a delicious aroma that fills the house. The word soup comes from French souppe. According to Wikipedia, the word restaurant, meaning “restoring” referred to a soup sold by street vendors that used to “restore” people’s energy, and was later used to name the places where this soup was sold, later on giving the name of restaurants to the places where you could eat food. There is nothing more comforting than a cup of concentrated, broth full of flavor to restore anyone’s soul from a cold day out in the winter.
Soup in traditional French cuisine is classified in two main types, thick and clear. Clear types are the most commonly known, Bouillion and consommé, and thick soup types include purées, bisques, creams and veloutés being bisque, the ones made with seafood.
This Shrimp Bisque has been a staple in our home for many years and we love to prepare it in the winter on cold days. We have a big freezer and every time we cook any kind of shrimp, we keep the shells for making broth. However, for this dish, you want to use the whole shrimp, which makes this bisque, more than an appetizer, almost a whole meal. Its heartiness is comforting and filling and will not disappoint.
We accompanied this delicious shrimp bisque with Mushroom Bruschettas topped with Onion Crisps. This recipe has a problem. The spicy Peri-peri flavored onion crisps are so delicious, they tend to disappear before making it to the bruschettas! You could always serve the onion crisps on their own as a snack, or use them to garnish hamburgers, add crisp to a macaroni and cheese or even to the bisque too. Peri-peri is a Portuguese mildly spicy 9-herbs seasoning that you can find in powder form or liquid form. For our recipe, we use the powdered form.
Bruschettas are a delicious Italian snack that consists of a piece of toasted artisan bread topped with fresh ingredients. Generally, a mix of fresh tomato, onion, and basil is the topping for bruschettas. For our recipe, Capt’n Kenny created a delicious mix of mushrooms, carrots, garlic, a touch of lemon, and coriander for a completely different flavor and companion to the Shrimp Bisque.
As always, please enjoy it and let us know how your version turned out in the comments.
Shrimp Bisque
This Delicious Shrimp Bisque is a wonderful entree, and accompanied with the Mushrooms Bruschettas topped with Onion Crisps is a complete meal on its own
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 lb 21/25 unpeeled uncooked shrimp
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 large onions halved and sliced
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 celery stalk sliced
- 2 garlic cloves chopped finely or crushed
- 6 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp butter
- 6 tbsp white rice
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped Parsley for garnishing
Instructions
Instructions
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Peel and devein the Shrimp and keep the shells for the soup. Reserve the shrimp in the refrigerator.
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Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the shrimp shells and cook over high heat until they start to brown. Stir frequently to avoid burning the shells. Reduce the heat and add ¼ of the onions, the carrots, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook for approximately 6 minutes stirring until the onions soften up. Add the water and the bay leaf, a small pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain the resulting bullion.
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Heat the butter in a large pan over a medium heat and add the remaining onions. Cover and cook for 6 minutes until they brown up. Add the bullion, rice, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is very soft.
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Allow the soup to cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup .
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Return the soup to the pan and place over a medium low heat. Add the raw shrimp, simmer for about 8 minutes and half way through the simmering, add the lemon. Make sure the shrimp does not overcook. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
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Garnish with Parsley and serve.
Mushroom Bruschetta topped with Crispy Onions.
Delicious Italian inspired Bruschettas topped with mushrooms and onion crisps.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Crispy Onions
- 2 Large Spanish or Sweet Onions
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp powdered Peri Peri seasoning
- 2 cups Peanut oil for frying
Bruschetta
- ½ lb Portobello Mushrooms
- ½ lb Button Mushrooms
- 1 small carrot
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- Cayenne or Black Pepper to taste
- 1 ½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander plus extra for garnishing
- 1 baguette
- 2 to 3 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
Instructions
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- Using a mandoline, thinly slice onions, which will yield about 3 cups. If the onions are moist to the touch, pat dry them between two pieces of paper towel until dry. Stir flour and salt in. Toss with your hands in a large bowl until onions are completely covered with the mix.
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- Heat about 1 inch of peanut oil in a wok over medium heat. When very hot, carefully add a clump of onions into the oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently to separate the onions until crispy and golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan when ready and drain on paper towel.
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- Remove stems from Portobellos, remove black gills and finely slice both Portobello and button mushrooms. Cut carrots in Julienne fashion or grate them.
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- In a frying pan, heat butter and garlic until bubbly. Add carrot, salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add mushrooms, drizzle with lemon juice, and cook for 5 to 7 turning frequently to avoid burning. Remove from heat, stir in coriander and cool.
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- Cut baguette on the bias into approximately 18 slices of about ½ inch thick. Set on a cookie sheet and toast in toaster oven or under the broiler. When lightly toasted, brush on both sides with butter.
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- Preheat oven to 350 F
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- Top each toast with mushrooms and add a large portion of onions crisps to each toast. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until onions being to darken up. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Crispy onions can be refrigerated for a day or 2 on frozen airtight container.
- Mushroom mixture can be refrigerated after cooked for a day or two.
- Toasts can be made ahead, covered and left at room temperature for up to half a day or frozen airtight.