I wanted to create a second course that is indulgent, rich and pretty too. Funny; The first time we tried this and pureed the soup in a food processor, we almost decided to start over because the texture wan't smooth enough. But then we put it in the blender, and it came out perfectly creamy." -- Mary Drennen Ankar, Test Kitchen Professional

Ingredients

  • Shrimp Broth
    • 8 ounces Medium uncooked shrimp, with shells and tails intact
    • 2 cups Onions, Chopped
    • 4 tsp. Garlic , Minced
    • 2 Jalapeño Peppers, halved, seeds removed
    • ¼ cup Dry White Wine
    • 4 cups Water
  • Bisque
  • 1 ¼ cups Shallots, thinly sliced (about 4 large)
  • 1 Celery Stalk, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 Tbsp. Dry Sherry
  • ¾ tsp. Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
  • ⅛ tsp. Cayenne Powder
  • 1 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
  • 3 cups Milk
  • 1.5 ounces Flour, (about 1/3 cup)
  • ½ cup Whipping Cream
  • 1 ½ tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tbsp. Fresh Chives, Chopped

Directions

1. Shrimp Broth: Defrost and peel shrimp, reserving the shells in one bowl and the shrimp in another.
2. Heat a small dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shells, onion, garlic and peppers; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add wine to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally.
4. Add 4 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 cups; strain over a bowl. Discard solids. Save 2 cups of liquid to use below.
5. Bisque: Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan. Add shallots and celery to pan; cook 10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in Sherry; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Add salt, peppers and 8 oz crab meat.
6. Combine milk and shrimp broth from above in a large bowl. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Whisk flour into milk mixture; add to pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
7. Place half of milk mixture in blender. Remove centerpiece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean wash cloth over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining milk mixture.
8. Return pureed mixture to pan. Slice shrimp into small bite sized pieces. Sir in cream, shrimp remaining 8oz of crab meat, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until shrimp turns pink and are thoroughly cooked.
9. Server in soup bowls, garnishing with chives.



Categories
Seafood