Email to Cat      

Cape Fear Shrimp Bisque

Source of Recipe

From "The Glory of Southern Cooking" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"More often than not in the South, a seafood bisque bears no more resemblance to the silky smooth French dish than a soufflé imitates the fluffy wonders associated with that name. (Virtually any baked casserole that contains eggs can be called a soufflé.) Even in Charleston and New Orleans (where crawfish bisque is thought to be the ultimate test of a great cook), few chefs today bother to make a rich shrimp, crawfish, crabmeat, or lobster stock, grind the shellfish, temper egg yolks, and carry out the other procedures necessary to produce an authentic bisque. And in Wilmington, North Carolina, a shrimp bisque such as this one is so foreign to the original concept that it's really more a chowder than a bisque. No matter what Tarheels in the area choose to call it, however, the soup is one of the most unusual and delectable you'll find anywhere in the South, a perfect prelude to any dinner that features roasted meat or fowl as the main course."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter
â—¦ 4 medium onions, finely chopped
â—¦ 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
â—¦ 2 cups water
â—¦ 3 cups milk
â—¦ ½ pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
â—¦ 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
â—¦ Pinch of powdered fennel
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 1 tablespoon dry sherry
â—¦ ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves


Recipe

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add the onions, and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and water, increase the heat to moderate, and cook till the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the milk and cheese over low heat, stirring, till the cheese is melted. Add to the onions and potatoes and stir well. Add the shrimp, fennel, salt and pepper, and sherry, stir, and simmer gently over moderately low heat, 10 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle a little chopped parsley on the bottom of each soup bowl and fill with bisque.

Makes 6 servings