By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 11, 2026
45 min
Shrimp Scampi Bisque
Recipe GLPR46aa01e48e1412
A luxurious seafood bisque built on a foundation of caramelized shrimp shells and aromatic vegetables, enriched with cream and white wine. The velvety soup is finished with succulent sautéed shrimp, fresh lemon zest, garlic, and herbs for an elegant first course.
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Ingredients
½ cup Extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb Large shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into ½-inch pieces (reserve shells)
3 Medium onions, finely chopped
1 Large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Celery stalks, chopped
2 Medium carrots, peeled and chopped
16 Garlic cloves, smashed (10 cloves) and thinly sliced (6 cloves)
2 Bay leaves
⅓ cup Double-concentrated tomato paste
1 cup Dry white wine
½ cup Cognac
8 cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
½ cup Heavy cream
1½ tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Lemon
2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
¼ cup Fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Directions
Warm ¼ cup olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the reserved shrimp shells and cook, stirring often, until they turn pink and develop brown spots, about 6–8 minutes.
Add the chopped onions, potato pieces, celery, carrots, smashed garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and the onion browns lightly, approximately 8–10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens slightly in color.
Pour in the white wine and cognac, bringing the mixture to a boil. Allow it to reduce by about two-thirds, stirring often, for roughly 4 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Working in batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and purée on medium-high speed until completely smooth.
Strain the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve (lined with cheesecloth if desired, or use a chinois if available) back into the pot. Discard the solids.
Stir the heavy cream and kosher salt into the strained bisque. Taste and adjust salt as needed, then season with freshly ground pepper. Keep the soup warm over low heat.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the lemon zest in wide strips, being careful to leave behind most of the white pith. Thinly slice the zest strips and set aside. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl.
Heat the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced lemon zest and sliced garlic cloves, stirring often, and cook until softened and fragrant, 2–3 minutes.
Add the shrimp pieces to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through (at an internal temperature of 145°F), approximately 1–2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from heat and add the butter and lemon juice, stirring until the sauce becomes emulsified and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the bisque into serving bowls and top each with a generous portion of the shrimp scampi mixture. Serve immediately.
Comments
Shrimp Scampi Bisque hits well on availability and cost for a Charlotte table—shrimp flows from the coast, all vegetables stock at any major chain, and the price per serving lands around $4 to $5 once you account for a pound of shrimp and a cup of cream. The 45-minute claim glosses over the need to peel shrimp and make a roux, realistically pushing past an hour on a weeknight. This is a keeper for entertaining or a slow weekend—it reheats decently and feels substantial—but the Cognac requirement and the back-to-front stirring needed to prevent curdling make it demanding enough that casual weeknight rotation may lose its shine after the first try.
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