Shrimp In Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
Makes: 1 serving of shrimp with creamy bisque
Ingredients
GROUP A: ROASTED RED PEPPER BISQUE
1 medium red pepper
1/2 medium tomato, shucked
1/2 small red onion
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 + pinch of ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic
Salt & pepper, to taste
GROUP B: SHRIMP
10 - 12 medium shrimp, deveined and tails removed
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp melted butter
Salt & pepper, to taste
GROUP C: GARNISH
Handful of onion slivers
Garlic flavoured croutons or baguette chips
Scallion greens, finely sliced
Method
Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan on medium-high. Dice the red pepper, onion, and tomato, and place on the un-greased pan, and let the veggies roast till they are blistered and a bit charred in spots. Take them off the pan and let them cool completely at room temperature.
Prep the shrimp: While the veggies are cooling, marinate the shrimp using all Group B ingredients, and set aside.
Make the garnish: Heat up 3 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan and add in the onion slivers, as soon as the oil starts to shimmer. Fry the onion slivers till deeply browned, then transfer onto a paper towel to soak up the excess oil and crisp up as they cool. Turn off the heat, and set aside this pan with the remaining oil, till it is time to use it again.
Make the bisque: Once the veggies have cooled down, transfer them to a blender along with the hot sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper, and blend down to a thick purée. Add water as required, so that veggies don’t get stuck in the blades and are able to be blended into a thick paste. To the same saucepan used to fry the onion, add the coconut milk and roasted vegetable purée, and cook on medium-low heat for 3 minutes, stirring often to ensure that the bisque doesn’t get stuck to the pan and burn. Add up to 1/4 cup water, mix well, and continue to cook while stirring, till the water has reduced, and the bisque is at a thick, soup-y consistency. Turn off the heat and transfer the bisque to a bowl of your choice.
Cook the shrimp: Heat the cast-iron skillet or grill pan again and sear the shrimp on each side for a minute or so, till each one is opaque.
Transfer the shrimp to the bowl with the bisque, tuck in some baguette chips, or scatter a handful of large croutons, and top off with the crisped onion and scallion greens prior to serving. Eat warm!
