For those of you like me that have a mother with New Iberia, La roots, you understand why we eat the way we do. This recipe is my mothers and every time I make it, it reminds me of her. Then again, so does every other recipe she used to make. Shrimp Bisque is a rare treat and when you find it, you better enjoy it. It will not last long.
You will need a 6 to 8 quart pot, lid, stirring spoon and a blender to pull this off.
Part 1: Ingredients for Shrimp Stock, 4 quarts of water, 2 onions quartered, 2 carrots sliced, 1 cup celery chopped, 8 cloves of garlic (whole and unpeeled), 5 cloves, 3 tbs of zatarains liquid crab boil, 3 pounds of fresh gulf shrimp with heads on.
Part 2: Ingredients for Shrimp Bisque, 2 sticks of real butter, 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, 2 cups yellow onion chopped, 1/2 cup chopped green onion, 1 tbs minced garlic, 1/2 cup fresh minced parsley or flakes, 2 quarts of shrimp stock (from above), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 bay leaves, 3 cups of whipping cream (not coolwhip), 2 6 oz cans of mushroom pieces, 1/4 cup cooking sherry, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 cup green onions, 1/4 cup chopped chives.
Part 1- Making the Shrimp Stock - Put the 4 quarts of water in a big pot, 6 to 8 quarts in size. Put in the Onion, carrots, celery, cloves, garlic and crab boil on high heat until it comes to a boil. Peel the shrimp and save the heads. Set the peeled shrimp in the refrigerator for now. Add shrimp peels and heads to the boiling water and bring back to a boil. Remember, you are making the shrimp stock or flavored water for the bisque. Quit complaining - Good things are sure to come. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Trust me, this is where the flavor willl come from. After simmering, strain the stock through a screen or collander to remove all of the heads and vegetables. Discard them. Keep the stock to be used as the Shrimp Bisque flavoring. You may freeze left over stock to be used another day.
Part 2 - Making the Shrimp Bisque - In a 6 to 8 quart cooking pot, on medium heat, melt the two sticks of butter. Add the flour and stir it for about 10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, green onion and parsley. Keep stiring until onion cooks and becomes cooked.
Add the shrimp stock a little at a time until the cooked flour and onion mixture thickens. This should take about 15 minutes. Add all of the other ingredients, including the peeled shrimp, to the pot and stir well. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. This will cook the shrimp. Remove the bay leaves. Pour contents of pot, into a blender and blend until all bisque ingredients are liquified. Return the blended bisque back to the pot - do not boil it. Just return to heat and simmer. Now your cooking.
Now you might be tempted to serve this Shrimp Bisque over rice. Don't do it. We have plenty of other recipes that call for rice. For the Shrimp Bisque, it is a bisque. That is all it is. It is made to be served like a thick soup. You may serve this in large bowls topped with green onion or chives. Bon Appetite.