Try this Spicy Shrimp Soup recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 small bay leaves
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- cooked white rice
- chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 large shallot microplaned or minced
- 5 cloves garlic microplaned pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour
- 2 cups seafood stock (i like imagine brand)
- 2 jalapeã±os, divided (1 jalapeã±o sliced from the rib 1 sliced into rings)
- 3/4 lb jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 limes (1 cut in half 1 cut into wedges)
- Carbohydrate 136.631539151267 g
- Cholesterol 276.197113737948 mg
- Fat 24.2746942168472 g
- Fiber 9.78241442058954 g
- Protein 50.9780435750607 g
- Saturated Fat 11.9704377317972 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1491g)
- Sodium 4048.0241442481 mg
- Sugar 126.849124730678 g
- Trans Fat 2.14905685240164 g
- Calories 960 calories
Step-by-step
- Melt butter in a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
- Add shallots and garlic then turn heat down a touch and saute until light brown and tender, 5 minutes - make sure butter is just barely sizzling as to not brown the garlic.
- Sprinkle in flour then stir to combine and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add tomato sauce then stir to combine, ensuring there’s no lumps in the flour/butter mixture.
- Add seafood stock, chicken stock, the jalapeño that’s been sliced from the ribs and seeds, bay leaves, and spices.
- Turn heat up to bring soup to a boil then turn back down to medium, place a lid partially on top and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and jalapeños then add lime juice to taste, and salt if needed.
- I usually use about 1/3 of a fresh lime.
- Turn heat back up to high to bring the soup to a boil then add shrimp and boil until cooked through - 1-2 minutes.
- Scoop soup into bowls then top with cooked rice.
- Add sliced raw jalapeños (these add a ton of flavor and heat vs just being a garnish so don’t skip!) and chopped cilantro then serve with lime wedges.
Building a rich seafood broth requires careful temperature control, specifically keeping butter at a gentle sizzle to prevent acrid garlic compounds from ruining the base. Tracing its lineage back to coastal fusion traditions that marry French roux methods with indigenous chile heat, this style of soup utilizes a hybrid stock foundation of chicken and seafood to maximize depth without doubling down on expensive proteins. Gluten-free flour works effectively here as a thickening agent, though standard all-purpose flour binds fats identically if dietary restrictions are absent.
Mastering the Broth and Seafood
Simmering the base for thirty minutes allows dried herbs like oregano and thyme to fully hydrate and release their essential oils into the tomato-infused liquid. High heat must be avoided during the simmering phase to keep the dairy solids in the butter from separating harshly. When introducing jumbo shrimp, restrict boiling time to precisely one to two minutes; crustaceans turned past this window lose their natural sweetness and adopt a rubbery texture.
- Garlic burning prematurely? Lower the burner by two notches and add a splash of stock immediately to drop the pan temperature.
- Seafood stock unavailable? Substitute an equal measure of bottled clam juice diluted with water to maintain salinity balance.
- Shrimp overcooked? Pull the pot off the burner immediately and let residual heat finish the cooking process gently.
