Ingredients:
- ½ stick butter, divided
- 1½ lbs. raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 2 whole carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 med. onion, chopped
- 8 cups seafood stock
- ¼ cup long-grain white rice
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- To taste salt and pepper
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chives, chopped fine
Directions:
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate.
- Add remaining butter to same pot. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add seafood stock, rice and tomato paste; stir for 1 minute.
- Add parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and cayenne. Simmer uncovered until rice is soft, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reserve four shrimp for garnish and stir remaining shrimp into bisque.
- Remove parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Remove from heat.
- Working in batches, purée bisque in a blender until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer set over a clean pot. Discard solids in strainer.
- Stir in cream and reheat bisque over medium heat. Add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more cayenne, if desired.
- Mince reserved shrimp and mix with chives in a small bowl.
- Place 1 heaping tablespoon shrimp mixture in the center of large, shallow soup bowls.
- Ladle bisque around garnish and serve.
