Shrimp Bisque II

This recipe was FANTASTIC! I made this bisque soup, then poured the cooled soup into ziplock bag-lined 16oz cups, then froze. When completely frozen, I removed the soup filled ziplocks from the cup molds and had a dozen servings ready to defrost on a moments notice in my freezer. This recipe is not an easy one, but VERY fun to make with a friend (you will probably need help with the cheese cloth straining - it's a slow messy strain). HIGHLY Recommend for taste, show and fun challange to prepare. Serves nicely with fresh tomatoe grilled-cheese sandwiches. Thank you!

This is the best seafood bisque recipe I have made yet. You could change the shrimp for crawfish or crab or combine them. Also, the trouble of straining out the shells is well worth the effort--they add so much flavor! When I peeled my shrimp, I made sure I threw away the feet and only put the big pieces of shell in my pot. This way, they were easier to get out. Also, I used chicken stock instead of seafood, and I added corn at the end so that it's a delicious shrimp corn bisque. Thanks for a GREAT recipe!

Awesome soup Angel! Whenever we boil shrimp for cocktail, we always save the broth and freeze it. It was nice to have all that pink broth on hand for the soup. The only thing I changed was subbing evaporated skim milk for the cream. With the addition of a big salad and homemade bread, this meal was a great success!

I'm not prone to giving bad reviews. This recipe has WAY too much paprika. I followed the recipe exactly, but omitted the alcohol (we don't drink). I think it would have been delicious with 1 t. paprika, but 3 T KILLED it. I could hardly taste the beautiful homemade shrimp/onion stock and expensive storebought seafood stock. It could be personal preferrence, but start out easy on the spices, if you're going to choose this recipe. I guess I prefer a white sauce shrimp bisque, as opposed to a more cajun style bisque, so I'm pretty sure it's personal preferrence. You should know, though, before trying it.

A miracle. I am a fairly inexperienced cook, and throughout the process I thought I had a disaster working. Accidentally used chicken stock rather than the seafood stock. At the end, this was the best shrimp bisque that I have ever tasted, if I did make it myself. As I was cleaning the kitchen I kept dipping into the leftover bisque. I would highly recommend this recipe.

this was delicious! it does take a bit of time to prepare but it is worth it. i actually doubled the amount of shrimp and put half into the simmering mixture in step two (in place of omitting the shrimp shells) that way after the whole mixture simmered for 45 minutes, i could throw it all into a blender without having to pick out shrimp shells. the extra shrimp adds a lot of flavor and bulk. after pureeing it in the blender i put it in the fridge overnight, and reheated it the next day. After reheating it,i then added in the cream, spices, and more shrimp. wonderful! dinner party of 12 and everyone loved it!

This is AMAZING! After reading the reviews, I mistakenly thought, that since it was going involve so much work, that I would triple the recipe. All-day ordeal! But, I can only imagine what that quantity would have cost, with a very similar flavor, from the restaurant I always order it from. If it is your first time making it, perhaps go the opposite way & reduce the recipe so you'll be prepared for the next time. Also, I made one batch on the side with veg stock (Kitchen Basics brand!) for a friend, and I couldn't taste a bit of difference, in the end. DELICIOUS! ...TIP!!!: consider getting a CHEAP mesh strainer, if you can find one. Three days later, and I'm still trying to pick/brush/spray all of the shrimp shell mixture out of my fine mesh strainer!

Lots of work, but worth every minute. I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and it was still very flavorful. My only word of caution is to use a mesh strainer--or better yet, cheese cloth in the mesh strainer. Don't try to use only cheese cloth to strain, because it has a hard time holding up to the thickness of the sauce. Lacking a mesh strainer, as an emergency fix I put my cheesecloth into a colander and strained it that way.

This is probably the best recipe I've found on this site. Unbelievable!

This recipe was wonderful, it had wonderful flavor, and a great creamy texture because of the rue, I didn't have to use heavy cream, I used regular milk, I also used flavored cooking wine instead of the sherry and brandy. My mother is a great cook, and she said that my bisque was better than her's! That was a huge compliment! Thank you so much for the recipe!

I made this soup for dinner last night. Followed the recipe exactly and it was Fantastic! Definitely worth the work to make it. My family loved it. Thanks for a great recipe!

Overall, I was disappointed with this recipe. It was okay, but nothing like I had anticipated. It was a lot of work (I had to make my own seafood stock) and really lacked flavor. I have made other seafood bisque before which was much better.

this was super easy to make, and adjust to my needs. i always cook with a pinch of this and a dab of that. so long as you have a solid base this soup can easily be adjusted up or down. i used cooking sherry in place of the brandy, and chicken and veg stock in place of the fish stock. i also started cooking the shells and onions first, it just made sense to start there as it was the most labor intensive part of this dish. i am sitting in front of a hot bowl of this right now, and i have to go, because it is so good!! I WANNA EAT!!!

I had to make a few changes based on what I had: chicken stock instead of seafood, vodka instead of brandy, no tomato paste, and fat-free half & half instead of heavy cream. This is probably the best seafood soup I've ever made, even with all those changes! It takes some time but it's soooo worth it.

My husband said that this dish is restaurant quality and I agree! I halved the recipe and used chicken stock (freshly made). There was more sauce than needed but I have frozen the leftover to go with some frozen seafood mix that I will cook at a later stage. I think that most of the flavour comes from the shrimp shells/heads and the brandy and sherry added. The best taste came after I added the sherry and seasonings!

perfect

Outstanding! I used clam juice and water, omitted the brandy and used a little more stock and even forgot the sherry. The flavor was still wonderful!

This is a wonderful shrimp bisque that impresses every time I've made it. Well worth the effort!

I make this Bisque every Holiday and it is always a crowd pleasure. I think its better than many other fancy restaurants Bisque. Thanks for posting!

Outstanding recipe!!! I followed the instructions but added crabmeat along with the shrimp. Excellent! This recipe is a keeper for sure! Shared it with the girls at work and a few of my patients (those with no diet restrictions). They all loved it!

Made this for New Year's Eve dinner and got rave reviews. Easy to do and great results. Made it up to the point of adding the heavy cream in the morning. Then reheated and finished right before serving. A definite keeper!

excellent bisque, I have made it several times and everybody loves it. Restaurant quality recipe. Thank you for sharing it.

Delicious! I did not find this dish to be all that difficult and time consuming to make as some of the other reviews said. I did substitute the seafood stock for chicken and vegetable stock and it still came out GREAT!! I highly recommend this recipe. I think it is very traditional and was exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for a great recipe

My husband loved it! Restaurant quality for sure. I would definitly make this again. It did take a long time to make, but definitly worth it.

OH MY GOODNESS! This bisque is absolutely amazing. I follwed the recipe, except I did not use the Sherry, since my local store did not have it. I also only had 1oz of Brandy (misread the recipe) and just subbed a few splashes of white wine. I did not find this recipe difficult at all. I used a fine mesh strainer which worked like a charm and made the straining super simple and fast. My only suggestion is to double, if not triple the amount of shrimp. I served this over some rice (which is traditional of some bisques) and with crusty bread. Most amazing bisque. Will save this recipe and use for a lifetime!

Fresh Medium Shrimp taste delicious in this Shrimp Bishque II. I have added 2% milk instead of 3 quarts of seafood stock to enrich this Shrimp Bisque. Also, I substituted 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to balance the consistency and thickness of the Shrimp Bisque II. In order to maintain the Fresh Shrimp taste, I added 1/2 onion diced with one cup of grape tomatoes chopped for flavor. In addition, added one tablespoons of olive oil to compliment the richness of butter. This Shrimp Bishque II does taste like fresh Medium Shrimp by popular consensus and review.

We are eatting this right now and we wish that we could give it more stars!! It is soooo smooth. My husband says he has never had anything like it...."a true culinary experience" is what he thinks!! Things I did differently: 1. Used cooking sherry and vermouth instead of sherry and brandy 2. used the crawfish stock that I made last night and did not cook the shrimp shells 3. doubled the hot pepper sauce and worcestershire sauce 4. used half and half!

My family loved this recipe (even my five year old son). I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I made some adjustments to the original recipe. I used chicken stock instead of the seafood stock. I used cans of cocktail shrimp and skipped the step with the shrimp shells. I used a can of tomato sauce instead of the paste and replaced the brandy & sherry with white wine. I omitted the Old Bay Seasoning - as I didn't have any on hand. Before adding the chopped shrimp at the end, I ran the soup through the food processor to eliminate any chunks. Then I added the chopped shrimp and warmed everything through before serving. I would definitely make this again!

Excellent!!!! Last weekend we had a progressive dinner in our neighborhood. I had to do the soup, so I chose this recipe and it was a hit to put it mildly. Everyone had seconds. I didn't change a thing in the recipe except added another half pound of shrimp.Will definitely make this again.

This recipe is fantastic. I have made it a few times now and I am never disappointed. Great flavors. I have also substituted beer for the bourbon and it still tastes great.

A fab recipe. A bit of work but if you pre-read the recipe you can better organize yourself. I halved the recipe for ease to work with my kitchen. A sub for brandy is orange liquor and apple juice for the sherry. AND please take skillet off the heat (turn off) before you add the brandy, pour in, ignite skillet, then turn cooktop back on

A fantasitic recipe! However it did turn out a little watery, next time I think I will use more cream and less broth.

very good recipe... used some leftover lobster shells to make the stock, I would put it up against any resturant

this was very good --just alot of work --not worth it

Very good and tasty I took it into work and every one thought it was excellent!!!! I used Chicken Stock instead of Seafood... And I used crab and shrimp It would also be good with Crawfish and Clams....

Wow it was great. If your organized and you get all your ingrediants ready, it isn't too bad. I did everything except the cream and shrimps in the morning. Than at night, I reheated it on the stove, added the cream and the final ingrediants such as the sherry, worcester sauce....and cooked the shrimp and added that. I served it over cooked white rice and steamed brocolli pieces that I mixed in with the rice. It came out on the thick side, which was perfect for the meal. I had to bring the recipe down to 5 people. It's definetely a RICH recipe. My husband loved it and so didn't his parents.

As previous reviewers have said this takes a bit of work. So very worth it!! I made seafood broth using Ina Gartin's recipe because I could not find seafood broth in the store and what can be ordered is too expensive. It makes quite a bit of soup and each bite is better than the previous one. I will make this again.

A lot of work but fantastic flavor!

I have never made anything but beef stew. These instructions were easy and the recipe was fantastic. My family now thinks I am a chef! Great recipe! PS. Had to use a mesh strainer because the cheese cloth wasn't working.

AMAZING! A little time consuming, but well worth it. I will double the recipe next time I make it.

Dropped my spoon! By far, the most lovely soup I ever made. I didn't feel it was too much work, results were worth it....perhaps a double batch next time. I also used homemade chicken stock...will start saving those shrimp shells for seafood stock for the next batch. The alcohol is important, for those concerned, only the taste remains...the actual alcohol component is vaporized. Did both shrimp and scallops on the bbq before adding. The spices were accurate for my taste. A soup I am proud to serve...even better made a day in advance!

I made this yesterday and received compliments on how good it was. Yes, I did a little substituting. I used Hennessy in place of the brandy and cooking sherry. I also seasoned it with Cajun seasoning, onion powder, season salt and old bay. I used the shrimps that was already peeled so I didn't have any shrimp shells, so I used a bag of powdered shrimp which gave it the flavor that was needed. So I didn't have to strain the mixture. My husband really loved it. We also had warm sour dough bread with butter on the side.

Do not skip the booze! The alcohol cooks off and made this dish really well balanced. I didn't use the old bay seasoning because sometimes it can make a dish too salty. I put it on the side and anyone that wanted it could add it to their individual bowl. I used half and half instead of cream.

This recipe was very good. I didn't have brandy or the worcestershire. I used 1/2 paprika and 1/2 of the hot sauce, due to taste. I also used fat free half and half and it was good. This is definitely restaurant quality. We give this between 4 and 5 stars. Since I did change it a bit and I do think the leftovers will be even better, I am giving it a 5. It is a lot of work and a lot of mess.

I used a mix of crab shrimp and lobster to make this incredibly decadent. SO worth it. I could not find any seafood stock, so I just put all my shells in the chicken stock to flavor that, and instead of straining out the onions used an emersion blender to purree them. I was VERY VERY happy with the results, as were all 5 people I fed it too.

My first time making bisque turned out amazing. This recipe is so unbelievable. Made it for an office holiday party for 12 people. This turned out to be a perfect amount since it left enough that I could send everyone home with a few ladles to enjoy it later. Every loved it. I substituted 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp with 1 lb of shrimp and 1 can of lump crab.

I love this soup! It is one of the best I have ever made. I used a 1 lb of shrimp though instead of shells because I like a little texture. I used a submersion blender and it worked perfect. Thank you so very much for the awesome recipe. You are a Soup Goddess or God ;D

Perfect... Almost identical to the recipe from my book from Culinary School except easy to scale thanks to AllRecipes Website. I use Lobster Base instead of fish stock to keep it simple.

Very very good, not that easy but well worth it!

Even my kids liked it. This was awesome.

Delicious - wonderful. I added crab meat and clams (with clam broth) and used a Thai style stock in place of the seafood stock. I also used half and half in place of heavy cream and this came out absolutley fabulous. Just be careful when you light the brandy - use an oven mit - it definately flames up quite a bit.

very hard to make - took forever. Use chicken stock if you can't find seafood stock.

This is an amazing recipe - a little time consuming, but WELL WORTH the effort. I always receive many compliments on this dish. Definately will keep it in the recipe box for years to come!

The taste of the bisque is very, very smooth. The changes that I made were as follows: already had shrimp shell stock, so just used this. After cooking the flour/butter mixture along with fish stock, I added onion, celery, etc. I let the mixture heat slowly, and thickened for about 40 minutes. Added shrimp at last ten minutes. Yum, yum!

Absouluely the best!Restaurant quality! I substituted Coffee-Rich Creamer for the heavy cream.My family is lactose intolerant.This cuts the fat grams in half! You cannot taste the difference! A bit labor intensive, but worth every minute!!!!

This recipe was very good. I didn't have brandy or the worcestershire. I used 1/2 paprika and 1/2 of the hot sauce, due to taste. I also used fat free half and half and it was good. This is definitely restaurant quality. We give this between 4 and 5 stars. Since I did change it a bit and I do think the leftovers will be even better, I am giving it a 5. It is a lot of work and a lot of mess.

This soup is worth the time it takes to make it! Here's what I did: 1. Made the butter / flour roux in one pot 2. In another pot, I put chicken broth / stock (because I couldn't find any seafood broth) and boiled the shells & legs of the shrimp in that to make a seafood broth. 3. I fished out the shrimp shells with a small strainer / sifter. Then I poured the seafood broth into the butter / flour roux (with strainer below to catch anything I missed). 4. I used the empty pot to cook veggies in butter.I added extra veggies like I always do! (Spinach, mushrooms, squash, tomatoes). 5. I added the shrimp (already deshelled). 6. Didn't have but 1 Tbsp. frozen tomato paste on hand, so just used that along with a can of tomatoes. 7. I added the rest of the ingredients, except the brandy and pepper sauce (I don't keep those on hand!), into the pot of veggies and shrimp. I only put in 2 Tbsp. paprika for fear of it being overpowering. 8. I poured the veggie / shrimp combo into the pot with the roux and broth and used an immersion blender to puree. 9. Added some salt and pepper to taste! It was GREAT!!

This is the best. Better than any restaurant.

Wonderful full flavor and worth the trouble.

There's a problem with the website - the paprika measurement does not change when you want to adjust the yield to a number smaller than 15 servings. I only used 1Tb for my attempt. Seems good so far. I also bypassed using the shrimp peel, too.

excellent recipe...thx for posting it...I did not have sherry nor brandy but towards the end of the cooking I ended up adding a whole bottle of a mild white wine. I had some home made chicken/turkey stock plus come canned seafood stock. I used tomato powder instead of paste, and I used less paprika per other reviews. S/P, Cajun seasoning, red hot, and Worchester...I don't measure but just did it to taste...the other change I'll next time is that before I add the rue to the stock I'll cook my schells with the stock and then the straining won't be so difficult, because I think it would be nice to have bits of onion,garlic and celery in the soup itself. Also, I didn't need to use so much cream because the soup with the rue was quite thick.. This is a keeper recipe.

Wow, is this a great bisque! I did not use the shell on shrimp, but instead bought the tail on shrimp. I also used more shrimp that the recipe called for. I also used some seafood stock that I found at Wegmans. I think it makes way more that 15 servings though. Very good, it's a keeper!!

Amazing. Had to add more Old Bay at the end to adjust for my taste, but I have never had a better bisque. It's time consuming but worth every second.

Thank you for the recipe. You made our Valentine's Day supper wonderful.

AWESOME! I followed the recipe exactly and it was AWESOME! I didn't make any changes but next time I plan to add additional seafood such as scallops, crab, or lobster. Thank you AFGLEZ for sharing such an AWESOME recipe!

This was SO easy and delicious. I added fresh corn from the cob. Incredible! Do it!

We have made this recipe several times and it is definitely one of our favorites. It has become our go-to specialty for visitors in our home. We follow it exactly, and we always use local shrimp that we buy at our farmers' market and we make our own shrimp stock. (Do NOT use imported farm-raised shrimp!)

Was pretty good but needed to be a little thicker. Omitted chopped onion and used tbsp onion powder instead. Added extra 1/2 tsp of old bay.

Outstanding! Takes a long time to make, but it's well worth the effort. Make an evening out of it!

I love, love this. Makes a great meal for company resulting in lots of raves

My husband and I loved it! I added less paprika like the over reviewers suggested and it turned out great . Warning it will make your house smell a bit spicy for awhile and it made my husbands eyes burn from the spiciness in the air- haha! But overall delicious soup I will make again !

Excellant. My family loved this recipe. I used more cream and less stock to make it creamier. I also left out the hot sauce since we are not a "hot and spicy" family. Still very, very good.

It seems fussy to make but it is absolutely worth it!!