This shrimp bisque recipe is as easy as it is elegant!
Made from a tomato and veggie base, aromatic herbs, and tender shrimp, this rich and creamy soup is a perfect starter or light main dish.
It’s ready to enjoy in no time!
Homemade Shrimp Bisque
- Seafood bisques are tasty ‘retro recipes’ worth perfecting since they are so fancy and easy to make!
- Ready in about 30 minutes, shrimp bisque is perfect as a special occasion soup but can also be served as a creamy bowl of comfort on a chilly day!
- Serve this extra-rich and creamy shrimp bisque in smaller portions or bowls because a little goes a long way!
Shrimp Bisque vs Shrimp Chowder
Most bisque soups are smooth from pureed vegetables and supercharged with flavor best served in smaller portions.
Chowders on the other hand, contain chunky bits of vegetables like potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, or meat and can be eaten in larger portions.
Ingredients for Shrimp Bisque
Shrimp – Use fresh or frozen large or medium shell-on shrimp. Save the shells for the broth.
Broth – Seafood or chicken broth can be used and is infursed with flavor from the shrimp shells. The veggies add flavor while cream adds richness and body to the broth.
Sauteed Veggies – Onions, celery, and carrots (known as a mirepoix) provide the flavor base for many recipes. Leeks can be used in place of the onions.
Variations – Use any variety of seafood like shrimp, crab, salmon, clams, or even lobster. Cook the shrimp with a pinch of Cajun seasoning in Step 2 for a little zesty heat.
How to Make Shrimp Bisque
This shrimp bisque recipe is as easy as it is elegant!
- Cook Shrimp: In a medium pan, cook shrimp in butter and set aside.
- Prepare broth: Add the broth ingredients to the shrimp shells in a medium pot and boil for a few minutes and then let rest before straining (per recipe below).
- Cook the bisque: Cook onions, celery, and carrots until tender. Simmer with broth and seasonings until tender and then blend until smooth.
- Finish and serve: Stir in the cream and simmer a few minutes. Add chopped shirpm and serve.
Storing Shrimp Bisque
Make up to a day ahead and the flavors will continue to blend! Store shrimp bisque in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Shrimp bisque can be frozen for up to 3 months in a zippered bag. Reheat fresh or frozen bisque slowly on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from separating.
More Seafood Soup Recipes
Did your family love this Shrimp Bisque? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Shrimp Bisque
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pound large shrimp with shells
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3 cups seafood broth or chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 1 small carrot diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 ½ cups half and half or 1 cup heavy cream
- chopped fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Peel the shrimp and reserve the shells.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer shrimp to a bowl.
- Add the white wine to the saucepan and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add the broth, bay leaf, and shrimp shells and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, turn the heat off and cover. Let rest 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the broth.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium head. Add the onions, celery, and carrot and cook until tender without browning, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the shrimp broth, tomato paste, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper to taste and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes or until thickened.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the cream and simmer 5 minutes more.
- Finely chop the shrimp and add it to the bisque. Garnish with chopped chives if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Seafood, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
My husband made this today and we loved it. Not a fast recipe, but really worth the time and effort. We ended up using chicken stock and it was fine. I do think next time we would get seafood stock, but we used what we had on hand. We used evaporated whole milk (from a can) in place of half and half, again, it was what we had on hand. Thanks for the recipe.
Hello Bobbie. You are welcome for the recipe. I am glad that you enjoyed it.
This was excellent! I used bottled clam juice instead of seafood broth or chicken broth. Also used 1 cup of half and half and 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
I love that you don’t use any thickeners in this bisque. Makes it a perfect low-carb/keto recipe.
This is the most fabulous recipe for shrimp bisque!!! Made it for the first time last night, and followed the recipe exactly! Will be making this again very soon!
I’m so happy you loved it, Scarlett! Thank you for leaving a comment
5 star on the flavor profile but 2 star on the texture. The dish was more broth like than creamy with some body.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Randy! I am glad you enjoyed the flavour so much.