Celebrating something special or want to wow your guests? Try this creamy, decadent and deeply flavourful homemade Prawn Bisque
A bowl of velvety goodness
Since Mother’s Day is fast approaching this Sunday, I thought I spend some quality time in the kitchen and make something a little special. My mum and I love prawns, so this exquisite Prawn Bisque would’ve been perfect. BUT, I’ll have to make another batch for mum because my sister and I greedily took care of this one!
While ‘Bisque’ implies French sophistication with complexity, this recipe is quite manageable. Honestly, it requires a few steps and uses a few pots and strainers, but it remains quite simple. Further, the ingredients list is also simple, no special ingredients needed!
This gorgeous bisque is velvety smooth with tender chunks of juicy prawns. The intense prawn flavour comes from using the prawn shells and heads to create the stock. Yes, that’s where all the deep prawn goodness and flavour are from! You won’t believe how rich and complex the flavour is, given that it uses everyday ingredients, excluding the prawns, of course.
So as the days get colder here in Sydney, there’s nothing better than enjoying a bowl of this Prawn Bisque. All I need is crusty bread for dipping, then I’ll be happy all day and if you add wine, I be happy for two days. Sound easy, right? Nope, I have a needy 5-year-old who I love more than anything, but is slowly driving me insane by asking me questions nonstop.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible mums out there! Mum is a title that earns so much respect. And to my stoic, but loving mum that raised the 5 of us so effortlessly, I’m sorry for all the hard times we put you through (especially from my little sister 😂).
Prawn Bisque
What is a bisque?
A bisque is a creamy French soup, typically made with shellfish, but can also feature other ingredients like vegetables or meat. This luxurious soup boasts a velvety texture and an attractive orange hue.
Can I use cooked prawns?
No, cooked prawns will not work in this recipe as it will not provide the same intense depth and flavour as raw prawns do.
What do simmering prawn heads and shell do?
Simmering prawn heads and shells creates a flavourful seafood stock, rich in umami and depth, ideal for enhancing this elegant bisque soup.
How to make Lobster bisque
I’ve successfully used this recipe to make the most amazing lobster and crab bisque. If you wish to use lobster or crap instead of prawns, just follow the same steps. You will need approximately 2kg / 4.4lb of raw crabs, because there’s less meat and 1.5kg / 3.3oz of raw lobster (weight with shells on).
Just like the prawns, the crab and lobster shells and heads contain loads of flavour. To extract all the flavourful goodness, complete the same steps on the recipe by simmering their shells and heads to create the stock base.
More recipes for when you want to impress:
Ingredients for Prawn Bisque
Raw prawns – Preferably large, fresh raw prawns with their head and shells on, the largest you can find. Frozen prawns would work, but they need to still have their heads and shell on because we need them to make the flavourful prawn stock. If using frozen prawns, thaw them before using.
Chicken powder – I cannot live without Knorr Chicken Powder (not sponsored). It seriously enhances the taste in many of my savoury dishes. Other brands of chicken powder, chicken stock powder, or crumbled chicken bouillon cubes would also work.
Plain flour (All-purpose flour) doesn’t have salt or leavening agents like baking powder.
Dry white wine – Any inexpensive white wine will do, but if possible, opt for a ‘dry’ white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio as they’re less sweet. If you would like to omit the wine, swap it with the same amount of salt-reduced (low sodium) chicken, fish or vegetable stock / broth.
Thickened cream has thickening agents added, such as gelatine or vegetable gum and it contains around 35% milk fat. If possible, stick with regular or full cream as the low-fat versions may make the sauce too thin. Heavy or whipping cream are other names for thickened cream, depending where you are.
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How to make Prawn Bisque
Step-by-step guide with photos
For the prawn stock: Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and shells. Clean, devein, chop the prawns into small chunks, and set aside.
Boil water in a saucepan over high heat, then add the prawn shells and heads (meat excluded) with the rest of the prawn stock ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the soup and discard the solids, then set the prawn stock aside for later.
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan, then stir in garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, then saute for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, then sprinkle flour over the vegetables and saute for another minute. Pour in the wine and stir regularly until the alcohol’s smell is gone. Add half the prawn stock, stir until combined, then add the rest. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Leave soup to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before blending.
Blend the soup until smooth using a heat-safe blender or a hand / immersion blender. To achieve a velvety bisque, strain the soup (don’t skip this step). Use a spoon or spatula to help strain the soup as it’s quite thick, then discard the solids.
Return the soup into a cleaned saucepan over medium heat and when it’s about to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the prawn meat and cook for a minute, then stir in the cream and cook for another 2 minutes or just until heated through. Have a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking if needed. Do not boil as the soup may split after adding the cream, and the prawns may get tough and rubbery.
How to store Prawn Bisque
Leftovers – Let the prawn bisque to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a sealed container and store in fridge for up to 3 days. When frozen, the bisque will keep for up to 2 to 3 months.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Prawn Bisque (Big prawn flavour!)
Video
Ingredients
PRAWN STOCK
- 1kg / 2.2lb raw large prawns in their shell (NOTE 1)
- 6 cups (1.5L / 1.6qt) water
- 4g / 0.14oz (small bunch) fresh thyme
- ½ tsp ground chilli or cayenne powder (optional)
- 1 tsp chicken powder (NOTE 2)
- 1½ tsp salt
PRAWN BISQUE
- 60g / 2oz unsalted butter
- 3 (15g / 5oz) peeled garlic cloves, minced
- 160g / 5.6oz (1 medium) brown onion, peeled & diced finely
- 150g / 5.3oz (1 large) carrot, peeled & diced into small cubes
- 135g / 4.8oz (2 large sticks) celery, diced into small cubes
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) tomato paste
- 1 cup (250ml / 8.5oz) dry white wine (NOTE 3)
- ¼ cup (40g / 1.4oz) plain or all purpose flour (NOTE 4)
- 1 cup (250ml / 8.5floz) thickened or heavy cream (NOTE 5)
Instructions
- For the prawn stock: Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and shells. Clean, devein, chop the prawns into small chunks, and set aside.Boil water in a saucepan over high heat, then add the prawn shells and heads (meat excluded) with the rest of the prawn stock ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the soup and discard the solids, then set the prawn stock aside for later.
- Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan, then stir in garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, then saute for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, then sprinkle flour over the vegetables and saute for another minute. Pour in the wine and stir regularly until the alcohol's smell is gone. Add half the prawn stock, stir until combined, then add the rest. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Leave soup to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before blending.
- Blend the soup until smooth using a heat-safe blender or a hand / immersion blender. To achieve a velvety bisque, strain the soup (don't skip this step). Use a spoon or spatula to help strain the soup as it's quite thick, then discard the solids.
- Return the soup into a cleaned saucepan over medium heat and when it's about to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the prawn meat and cook for a minute, then stir in the cream and cook for another 2 minutes or just until heated through. Have a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking if needed. Do not boil as the soup may split after adding the cream, and the prawns may get tough and rubbery.
