Shrimp Bisque

A while back, my friend Gordy sent me his recipe for this seafood bisque. He wrote:
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Krista,
I found this recipe in a Nestle/Carnation cookbook and have made it 3 or 4 times. I thought it would be perfect for your blog. It is simply the best seafood bisque I have ever had. It is easy to make as long as you have all the ingredients at the ready, and re-heats great for leftovers. I recommend this for any elegant dinner party where you want to impress.

Gordy

This recipe makes 6 servings. I double it for the Poker Gang!!
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He was right! It is delicious, my Halloween dinner guests were impressed, and it does re-heat nicely. Some of you may remember Gordy from my post about Cajun Seafood Bread. If you have't tried it yet...click the link! This is still one of my favorite foods of all time!


When I put this soup together, my house was chaotic! I was trying to get ready for Halloween night. I had cut out around 200 pumpkin spice donuts and apple cider fritters to fry up for my trick or treaters. I had my husband heating the frying oil in the driveway and I was carrying cider and supplies to the garage while also trying to make dinner and get my lil' trick or treaters into costume. Oh, and I was trying to keep the house reasonably clean before our guests arrived. I ended up pouring the bisque into the crock pot to keep it hot and wrapping pigs in a blanket for the kiddos. By the time I got around to snapping a picture of the finished product, it had been in the crock pot for hours! I'd completely forgotten about it. Trick or treaters had come and gone and I was very hungry! I figured that it would be fried to my crock pot when I set out to ladle up a bowl and take a pic. However, this bisque was remarkably resilient. Miraculously, the butter had only slightly separated from the soup and it still tasted amazing...especially when I sopped it with slice of French bread.

You begin by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan or stockpot and sauteeing 1/2 cup each of diced onion and celery.




Then throw in a pound of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined.



Cook and stir until shrimp are pink. Then remove the shrimp, onion, and celery and keep warm. I put mine in the crock pot.



In the same pot, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour until smooth.





Gradually stir in 3 cups of water.



Stir in chicken boullion, cayenne pepper, seasoning salt, a bay leaf, and ketchup.



Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to low and stir for 5 minutes.



Add to shrimp mixture. I kept this warm until just before my guests arrived, then...



I stirred in the evaporated milk and dry white wine. Heat through, without boiling.



Serve it up.



Mmmm. Three shrimp smothered in the savory bisque, nestled on a spoon. The perfect way to end my Halloween night. Well, this...and a glass of Chardonnay (left over from the soup preparation). Serving fresh fried donuts and cider to the neighborhood and coaxing two small children off of a sugar high into bed can leave one a bit frazzled. : )




Shrimp Bisque

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups water
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 Chicken Flavor Bouillon Cube
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (Lawry’s)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Directions:
MELT 2 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp, cook until shrimp turn pink. Remove from saucepan; set aside.

MELT remaining butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in water, ketchup, bouillon, bay leaf, seasoned salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add shrimp mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in evaporated milk and wine. Heat through; do not boil.