Prawn Bisque (Big prawn flavour!)
Celebrating something special or want to wow your guests? Try this creamy, decadent and deeply flavourful homemade Prawn Bisque
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.
Notes
(NOTE 1) 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.
(NOTE 2) 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.
(NOTE 3) 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.
(NOTE 4) Plain flour (All-purpose flour) doesn't have salt or leavening agents like baking powder.
(NOTE 5) 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.
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.
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Cheers – Cat T
Nutrition
Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 26gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 279mgSodium: 1721mgPotassium: 531mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5716IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 165mgIron: 1mg