Shrimp and Corn Bisque--a la quick style!

I love living in south Louisiana a good bit more now than I did growing up.  I lived in my small town until I was 18 and moved to a larger city a bit north of my hometown to attend college. From there, I moved to NYC and finally realized the south is where I belong for a number of reasons.  Many of those reasons include local things such as shrimp, crawfish, crabs, oysters, gumbo, jambalaya, oh and my momma and daddy mainly!!  I couldn't live far away from my parents ever again, it's just not in my bones!


My husband went with a buddy of his on a fishing expedition to catch shrimp a few months back.  Most of you who follow this blog prior to this entry do not know much about shrimping/trawling but it's a way of life down here. It is also a job for many people that live here.  I can't tell you how often I see signs up or now posts on facebook that there are shrimp for sale at such and such place, so much for an ice chest.  I can't tell you how many "shrimp peeling gatherings" that have taken place underneath my parent's carport.  Growing up, I loathed hearing that my parents bought an ice chest of shrimp because it meant I had to help peel them and I knew my fingers would be sore and prune-y after all was said and done.  Either way, my husband went in May to catch shrimp so I have several bags of peeled uncooked shrimp in my freezer right now.  The other night, I wanted to try a recipe floating around in my head for shrimp bisque.  I know this is why you are reading this so let me get to the point--it was amazing.  My daughter said it was the best thing she's ever tasted, second only to my red beans but it was close!

Here's the recipe--sorry there isn't a picture to go with this post.  My husband and child scarfed it right up in no time!



Shrimp and Corn Bisque 

1 lb peeled shrimp, uncooked
 2 tablespoons of oil (olive or cooking, your choice)
1/4 cup green onions, diced finely
1/2 stick real butter
1 can cream of onion soup
3 cups milk (2% or whole)
2-3 tablespoons flour
3-4 small white potatoes (red can be substitued), peeled and chopped into small cubes
1 small bag of frozen corn
1  can of evaporated milk
2 tsps each of:  savory seasoning (isnt a must, in case you don't have this), oregano, red pepper,
       garlic powder, season salt (tony's is my choice being here in south LA), crushed rosemary
1 cup of shredded  cheese, your choice of monterrey, colby, or gruyer.  I just recommend a white
          cheese with some flavor to it!

optional:
leftover crawfish tails from a crawfish boil you had at your house a month or two ago and needed to
           use before they went bad from freezer burn
crab meat from the above mentioned boil

1. Heat oil in medium size pot.  Add onions and green onions to the pot and sautee until cooked down to be soft and clear
2  Add chopped potatoes.  Cook down until potatoes are soft and starting to come apart easily with a spoon. Add butter
3. Add in shrimp/any other seafood you are adding to the bisque as well as the frozen corn to the pot.  Cook down until shrimp and corn are cooked thoroughly.
4. Add can of soup, can of evaporated milk, and seasonings to the pot and stir in completely. You want to make sure your soup isn't lumpy. Mix regular milk and flour in a separate cup thoroughly ensuring there are no lumps of flour in the milk mixture.
5.  Add the milk mixture and cheese to the pot and let cook on low/simmer for about 20-30 minutes.  You want to stir it often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the bottom.  If the soup gets too thick, you can add in whole or 2% milk in 1/2 cup increments, but make sure you cook it down to ensure it all blends in.


Enjoy!!