Let’s talk about shrimp. If you enjoy the tasty crustaceans and live in the South, you should be buying Gulf shrimp. It’s a bit more expensive than the imported farmed kind at most supermarkets, but it tastes better, and you’ll feel better about yourself for buying it.
The oil spill last year put a big damper on the Gulf shrimp industry, but the majority of the waters have been reopened to fishing, and extensive FDA testing has confirmed shrimp as safe. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch calls wild-caught Gulf shrimp a “good alternative” (the reason they’re not a “best choice,” the highest grade, has nothing to do with oil—shrimp nets can pick up unwanted bycatch, such as juvenile fish and crabs).
That said, there is still some controversy over Gulf seafood. But even if the less optimistic opinions are true, unless you’re eating seafood every single day, you’re fine.
But the real reason you should be buying Gulf shrimp is that is has a real positive effect on people in our state. Gulf fishermen have been rocked by twin disasters—Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon—and their industry is on its heels. Purchasing their product instead of farmed Thai shrimp sends money directly to communities that need it badly.
So that’s it for the preaching. What to do with your Gulf shrimp? Make them into an elegant bisque that requires way less work than it sounds like.
The key to shrimp bisque is a deeply flavored shrimp stock. Unlike with chicken and beef stock, shrimp shells only take a short time to infuse their essence into water. If you can find head-on shrimp, definitely use them—the orange-colored fat in shrimp heads does wonders for flavor, and also gives the stock that perfect peachy color. A lot of recipes call for tons of cream, but if you make a solid stock, you only need a little bit to add richness.
Shrimp Bisque
Makes 1 1/2 quarts (4 to 6 servings)
1 lb. shrimp, shells and heads on
1 onion, quartered (unpeeled)
6 cups water
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 to 4 tbsp. heavy cream
Peel the shrimp, reserving the shells and heads. Dry sauté the shrimp meat in a large saucepan until fully cooked. Remove, chop finely, and set aside.
Add the shrimp shells and heads, quartered onion, and water to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Strain the broth and set aside.
Heat the butter in the pan over medium heat until the foam subsides. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until it just starts to color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and reserved broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in the heavy cream and reserved chopped shirmp. Season to taste with salt and pepper.