Prawn & Fennel Bisque

Ingredients

• 450g Tiger Prawns
• 4 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion
• 1 large Fennel
• 2 chopped Carrots
• 150ml Dry White Wine
• 1 tbs Brandy
• 400g Chopped Tomatoes
• 1L Fish Stock
• 2 pinches Paprika
• 150ml Double Cream
• 8 Prawns

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Peel the prawns and set the flesh aside, keeping the shells.
2. Warm the oil in a large pan and fry the shells for about 5 mins until fragrant.
3. Tip in the onion, fennel and carrots, then let them soften over the heat for about 10 mins.
4. Pour in the wine and brandy and let it bubble hard for about 1 min so the alcohol cooks off.
5. Stir in the tomatoes, stock and paprika, cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 mins.
6. While it simmers, roughly chop the raw prawn flesh.
7. Blend the soup as smoothly as you can, then push it through a sieve into a bowl, working it well so the texture turns silky.
8. Return the strained liquid to a clean pan, add the chopped prawns and cook for 10 mins, then blend once more until smooth.
9. This can be chilled for up to a day or frozen for 1 month; thaw overnight in the fridge before use.
10. To serve, warm the soup gently with the cream stirred through.
11. If you want a garnish, fry the 8 whole prawns briefly in a little butter.
12. Ladle into small bowls and finish with the fried prawns and a few snipped fennel fronds.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.