New Orleans Shrimp and Corn Bisque

PREP TIME	15 mins
TOTAL TIME	1hr 5 mins
SERVINGS	12

INGREDIENTS

½ pound bacon
1 medium yellow onion
½ bell pepper (any color)
2 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup sherry cooking wine
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick, or ½ cup)
½ cup all purpose flour
4 cups (or chicken, vegetable, or seafood stock)
1 ½ cups water
2-4 green onions
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 ½ pounds medium raw shrimp (41/50 or similar size)
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (or to taste)
4 ears of corn (2-3 cups of kernels)
2 cups heavy cream (warmed)
Salt (black pepper, or cajun seasoning to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

PREP: Finely chop onion (1 cup), bell pepper (½ cup), celery (½ cup), green onions (½ cup), and parsley (¼ cup). Mince garlic. Remove corn kernels from the cob. Chop bacon into small pieces. Peel and devein shrimp. Pat shrimp dry and season evenly with cajun seasoning. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Measure out other ingredients.
CRISP: Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add chopped bacon. Cook for about 8 minutes until bacon is starting to crisp, stirring occasionally. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
SAUTÉ: Turn heat to medium-low and add in onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes with the bacon until vegetables are softening. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute while stirring.
DEGLAZE: Add in sherry to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow alcohol to burn off.
ROUX: Add butter to the pot to melt. Once melted, sprinkle flour over the bacon and vegetable mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, while stirring and scraping up the bottom, until flour has slightly darkened. It will look thick and clumpy.
SIMMER: Slowly whisk in shrimp stock, a little at a time, until incorporated and there are no lumps of flour. Add an additional 1 ½ cups of water and mix in. Add half of the parsley and half of the green onions. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat or foam that rises to the top. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick.
COOK: Add in seasoned raw shrimp, corn, and heavy cream. Add in remaining parsley and green onions, or reserve for garnishing each serving. Bring back up to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through and pink.
FINISH: Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or cajun seasoning as needed.
SERVE: Serve hot, option to garnish with more parsley and/or green onions.

NUTRITION

Calories 492kcal, Carbohydrates 14g, Protein 15g, Fat 43g, Saturated Fat 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat 4g,
Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat 0.3g, Cholesterol 178mg, Sodium 794mg, Potassium 331mg, Fiber 1g, Sugar 4g, Vitamin A 1485IU, Vitamin C 10mg, Calcium 103mg, Iron 1mg,