BH&G Shrimp Bisque

Living in New England, I'm a super sucker for New England clam chowder. It's warm, delicious comfort food that hits the spot, no matter what time of the year it is. But despite my love for clam chowder, I'm always up for trying different types of milk-based chowders and bisques. Perhaps it's because I'm constantly on a diet and my food-deprived brain screams "MUST. EAT. HIGH-CALORIE. FOODS!" but I tend to low these creamy, thick concoctions more than the typical broth-based soups.

As I was flipping through the March issue of Better Homes & Gardens, one my favorite mags and I was lucky enough to snag a free subscription from a previous deal, I noticed a recipe for Fast Shrimp Bisque. This stuck out to me for three reasons. It's fast, notice the title? It's got shrimp, one of my favorite types of seafood. And it's a bisque - signal the fat cells to get moving straight to my hips!

And lucky for me, I had almost all the ingredients right in my pantry. I did have to go and buy anchovy paste, but I figure I'll find another use for it at some point. I also later realized, after I already started the recipe, that I did not have bay seasoning, so I improvised and it came out yummy.

This recipe did prove to be very fast and extremely delicious. It even made my husband happy and he's not a liquid-for-dinner kinda guy. That is unless one of the main ingredients is hops.

Here's the delicious recipe so you can try this great bisque. You'll notice my substitutions in red.

Fast Shrimp Bisque, courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens
Makes: 4 servings

Serving size: 1 1/4cup
Start to Finish: 25 mins
 
 

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning or other seafood seasoning     I used herbs de provence, because I didn't know what a close substitution to Bay Seasoning was. I also put a bunch of salt in, too, because I didn't find it salty enough
12 ounces fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells, thawed
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced (1 cup) I used frozen celery that I had cut and froze previously; I didn't thaw it.
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 1 or 2 anchovies, finely chopped
Seafood seasoning (optional)


Directions

1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven combine 2 cups water, Old Bay Seasoning, shrimp, and celery. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until shrimp shells turn pink and shrimp are opaque. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon or tongs; set aside to cool.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together evaporated milk, milk, flour, and anchovy paste; stir into liquid in Dutch oven. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, peel shrimp. Chop about half the shrimp. Add chopped shrimp to soup. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through. Ladle into bowls. Top with remaining peeled shrimp. Pass additional seafood seasoning.

Nutrition Facts (Fast Shrimp Bisque)


Servings Per Recipe 4,Calories 224,Protein (gm) 20,Carbohydrate (gm) 16,Fat, total (gm) 9,Cholesterol (mg) 138,Saturated fat (gm) 5,Monosaturated fat (gm) 2,Sugar, total (gm) 12,Vitamin A (IU) 534,Vitamin C (mg) 2,Thiamin (mg) 0,Riboflavin (mg) 0,Niacin (mg) 2,Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,Folate (µg) 40,Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 1,Sodium (mg) 973,Potassium (mg) 501,Calcium (DV %) 353,Iron (DV %) 1,Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts