Velvety Smooth
I always think of a cream soup as being one of the most elegant starters for a special meal. Whether it’s cream of asparagus, vichyssoise, Crema de Cipolle Alle Mandorle, or even a sweet fruit soup, like my Chilled Plum Soup. Sometimes, I like the small cream soup bowls, with their delicate handles and elegant design. At other times, a flat soup plate is best. And, of course, I love torturing Markipedia, making sure he puts out the correct soup spoon to match the bowl used and the soup within.
It has taken me a few tries to get today’s soup just right. Checking many sources, and heeding their advice, rice was used as a thickener. But neither of us liked the texture all that much, and one guest even asked what made the soup grainy in texture. Um, no thanks. I want my velouté to be as smooth as velvet — not thick and stodgy. So try and try again I did — and, today, I am happy to share with you my recipe for Velouté de Crevettes. I used side-stripe shrimp from Juneau, Alaska, brought to our Tucson farmers market by White Cane Salmon.
~ David
Velouté de Crevettes (Cream of Shrimp Soup)
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Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, in shells
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 shallots, minced
- 2 large carrots, cut into small dice
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon piment d’Espelette, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup cognac
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 cups light chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- chopped parsley, 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 skillet 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. When the flames have subsided, lower the heat and add the white wine. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until the liquid has thickened a bit — about 3 minutes. Strain this shrimp base into a large pot and add the broth. Add the reserved shelled shrimp and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a brisk simmer and cook 10 minutes.
- Pour the shrimp and broth into a blender, and blend until completely smooth. Strain back into the pot and discard solids. Reheat soup for 2 to 3 minutes. Work together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the flour (beurre manié) and whisk it into the soup, then add the cream. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
- Makes 6 cups, serving 6-8 as a first course.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Mad Dog
May 20, 2023 at 6:35 amI’m sure that’s absolutely delicious – I might have to go out and buy some shrimp!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:16 amGlad you like it – and sure you can get wonderful shrinp!
Mimi Rippee
May 20, 2023 at 7:23 amOh my goodness this looks so decadent!! In a rich, wonderful way.
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:17 amIt is decadent – we served this for our 28th anniversary dinner with steak tartare.
Susan Manfull
May 20, 2023 at 10:37 amThat sounds yummy! What are side/stripe shrimp? Will medium shrimp from Sanders Fish Market work?
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:21 amA great question, Susan! They are a cold water shrimp from Alaska – the “side stripe” refers to a long stripe that goes the length of the shrimp. They are very sweet – and any good shrimp will do!
Emery Nicoletti
May 20, 2023 at 4:00 pmWow, I am going to attempt this. It looks incredible!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:21 amThanks, Emery – it’s really nice. Hope you are well!
Eha
May 20, 2023 at 4:51 pmWhat an inviting offering! Love the idea of tarragon, wine and cognac . . . guess the dish does need the cream 🙂 ! Wonder whether prawn or fish stock would work instead of the chicken? Just love the colours of the plaing . . . !
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:23 amI think prawn stick/broth would be great but it’s not as easily available. And the light chicken broth really works well.
sherry
May 20, 2023 at 11:56 pmthis sounds delightful David. I was watching Anti-chef the Youtube fella the other day and he was making a Julia Child recipe which had a veloute base. To my utter surprise he added copious amounts of milk!! What the?! No milk should be involved in a veloute to my mind :=)
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:23 amMilk? Seriously? I do t think so…
Sippitysup
May 21, 2023 at 4:27 pmSo elegant with or without the handled bowls! GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
May 22, 2023 at 2:24 amRight? And, as you can see, I chose not to use them as I was serving this as our main course.
Gerlinde de Broekert
May 22, 2023 at 8:04 amOK David, I’m sitting in a German train, drinking a lukewarm Coke and I would love to have the soup right now . It looks so good.
Cocoa & Lavender
May 27, 2023 at 4:02 amI wish I could bring some over to you! I hope you are having a wonderful time.
Gerlinde de Broekert
May 22, 2023 at 8:07 amDavid, I’m sitting in a German train, drinking a lukewarm Coke and I would love to have the soup . It looks great .
Jeff the Chef
May 23, 2023 at 7:00 amHow amazing. I want to know what the rest of this meal was like! Glad to hear about the rice, because that sounds like something I would’ve tried, and you’ve saved me the time and effort!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 27, 2023 at 4:04 amThe rice made so much send when I tried it, Jeff, but was so disappointing in the end when it came to texture.
We started the meal with steak tartare, followed the soup with a salad, and then had oranges sprinkled with cinnamon (very Moroccan) for dessert.
Pauline McNee
May 24, 2023 at 12:00 pmDavid this looks fantastic. There’s no shortage of prawns where I live and yet we don’t tend to make soups like this. When things settle down and I am home for our Winter I will give this a try. It looks perfect.
Cocoa & Lavender
May 27, 2023 at 4:04 amIt is a lovely winter dish and I don’t think I said we had this on New Year’s day — in the think of our winter! I hope your trip to France was lovely.
Christina Conte
May 28, 2023 at 11:43 pmWho knew? I’ve never even imagined such a soup existed! And funny you list cream of asparagus, as I popped over to Germany for a week and had the most delicious white asparagus soup, EVER!
2pots2cook
May 29, 2023 at 4:38 amAnother seriously good looking dish! So glad to read any good shrimp will do !
Raymund
May 31, 2023 at 2:30 pmI completely agree with you about cream soups being a sophisticated choice for a special meal. They add an elegant touch and can truly elevate the dining experience. Your selection of cream soups, from classics like cream of asparagus and vichyssoise to unique creations like Chilled Plum Soup, shows your creativity in the kitchen
Valentina
June 7, 2023 at 12:32 pmI agree that a cream soup is a delightful way to start a special meal — it certainly sets the tone. I know shrimp bisque, but I’ve never heard of or tasted anything like this. I would love a nice chunk of crusty-buttery bread with this. The velvety texture is apparent and the shrimp is beautiful, by the way. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
June 9, 2023 at 7:37 amValentina — You can barely see it, but there is a loaf of French bread in parts of the photo. It is a really good accompaniment to this soup.