Name: Ina Garten Shrimp Bisque
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 lb large shrimp (21-25 count); 4 cup seafood stock; 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil; 2 cup leeks, chopped, white and light green parts only; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/4 cup Cognac; 1/4 cup sherry; 4 TBS unsalted butter; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cup half-and-half; 1/3 cup tomato paste; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground black pepper

Don’t let this recipe intimidate you. Ina Garten Shrimp Bisque is not difficult to make and everyone will love the flavor of this creamy and decadent soup!

I suppose that I would be designated a foodie. I love to cook. I can’t buy enough cookbooks. I have a blog about cooking. But, what is the definition of a foodie? I don’t consider myself a gourmet.

I like to prepare REAL meals, with REAL ingredients I can easily find, and not to mention, don’t cost me a fortune. So, I don’t consider myself a gourmet foodie, but a regular-joe (or jane!) foodie.

I joined the Barefoot Bloggers because I really enjoy cooking (and eating) Ina Garten’s recipes. And I admit, despite the number and variety of dishes I make, I have a comfort zone I like to stay in.

So when I found out that that my next recipe was Ina Garten Shrimp Bisque, I cringed. Really? A bit too froo-froo for me. Plus, I’m not a big soup eater – what should I do?

Luckily, I had a family party coming up. Yes, another one. My parents spent a month here in San Diego and they were leaving. So I put together a little family dinner with husband’s side of the family for a farewell dinner.

It was small, just 18 of us. Ha! Ha! And I did have some shrimp in the freezer, bought on sale of course. So why not?

What is shrimp bisque?

A bisque is a rich, creamy soup that is typically made with seafood. Bisque can also be made vegetarian, like tomato bisque. As the name suggests, bisque is French in origin and is a smooth and puréed soup.

A seafood bisque can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish. The recipe I am sharing today uses shrimp.

How to make Ina Garten Shrimp Bisque

The base of the Barefoot Contessa Shrimp Bisque is a seafood stock. I used some homemade fish stock my husband and I made with the fish heads and bones he collected from a fishing expedition. You can make stock with shrimp shells and heads or you can purchase shrimp stock.

Ina Garten’s shrimp bisque recipe isn’t very complicated, no cognac to torch, no fear of egg curdling…. I was beginning to feel ready for this challenge. But, even I make mistakes.

And I made it early on in the recipe. Like where it says “use leeks, only the white and light green parts.” I used the whole leek. And after I added the shrimp and tomato paste and puréed everything, I realized that my pink bisque had a disgusting puce color to it. I smacked my head and realized my no-duh-moment.

I added a little more tomato paste to make it more pink and offered a taste to my soup-expert-hubby. He gave it two strong thumbs up. I was relieved. But, the color was still a little off.

I didn’t want the color to scare my guests, so yes, I did the unthinkable. I added a little red food coloring to the soup. I know, in this world that is all-natural and dye-free and organic I used a dab of Wilton’s Christmas Red Food Gel (no flavor) to pink up my shrimp bisque!

And my husband now is shaking his head, telling me no one had to know. But, I suppose I want to reassure even the novice cooks that mistakes are easily made, even by those of us considered to be foodies.

But, no one complained about the color. Everyone was bowled-over with this amazing shrimp bisque. My brother-in-law who spends much of the time jet-setting around the world for work, eating in 4-star restaurants, couldn’t stop complimenting me on Ina Garten’s shrimp bisque recipe.

My father, who is also not a huge soup eater, loved the bisque, as did my mother, who is a huge soup eater. Boy did the Barefoot Contessa make me look good that night!

I found the flavor to be spot on, not too shrimpy, not too creamy. Again, having a family of lemon lovers, many added freshly squeezed lemon juice to their soups. What a great, exotic soup to share with everyone.

And to top it off, I was able to serve it in my fancy schmancy seafood themed soup tureen that my mother had given to me years ago. Very fitting. I hope Ina approves.

More Ina Garten Recipes

Love Ina’s recipes like I do? Here are some of my favorite Barefoot Contessa recipes:

Ina Garten Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ina Garten Oatmeal Cookies with Raisin and Pecans

Ina Garten Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ina Garten Grilled Shrimp Kabob

Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich

Ina Garten Coconut Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Ina Garten Creme Brulee

Yield: serves 6