A Healthier Take on a Restaurant Favorite

I love replicating dishes. I review restaurants and pick a dish to replicate because I love it or hate it. I change it up a bit and come up with my own version. As I was trying to come up with a healthier version of the shrimp bisque I had at Supper in Chatham, I realized doing these replications forces me to step out of my comfort zone.

I don't make too many soups at home and generally enjoy them at restaurants. We all have dishes we order in restaurants but feel uncomfortable (for whatever reason) cooking them at home. Somehow soups fit that category for me—I never think of cooking them, so they never became part of my repertoire.

People tend to get stuck into a rut of cooking the same things week after week. For me, this is a great way to try something different, something I normally would not cook.

I love eating bisque—shrimp, lobster or crab—any kind, really. I love the rich, creamy soup with bits of sweet seafood. A salad and some crusty bread with the delicious soup, and of course a glass of white wine, makes a great meal.

My only problem with the soup is all the cream and butter used in there. It tastes great, but I am not comfortable with all the fat. So I decided to come up with my own version of a healthier shrimp bisque.

I started by sautéing jumbo shrimp in some olive oil. The soup would be delicious with homemade shrimp broth but I decided to keep it simple and use store-bought seafood broth instead.

I used pancetta, shallots, garlic and carrots for a great foundation of flavors. To develop the flavor further, I added tomato paste and white wine. The plan was to use a lot of flavor without adding too much fat. By adding flour and cooking it down, I used a roux to thicken the soup and reduced the fat.

The result was a delicious, creamy soup with chunks of carrots and of course, shrimp. The subtle flavors of pancetta and white wine came through without overpowering the soup. I served it with slices of hot, crusty bread, a vegetable bake and white wine. It was a delicious end to the evening.

Try my healthier version of shrimp bisque and let me know what you think.

Healthy Shrimp Bisque

• 12 ounces jumbo shrimp, deveined and shelled
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt (to taste)

Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil. Saute the shrimp on high heat for 30 seconds on each side. Sprinkle salt and place on a lined platter. Cut each shrimp into three and set aside.

• ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ cup carrots, chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white wine
• 1½ cups seafood or shrimp broth
• 1½ cups low-fat milk
• Salt (to taste)
• ¼ cup half and half
• Juice of half a lemon

Add the pancetta into the same saucepan and sauté over medium heat for two-to-three minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and carrots. Saute for another two minutes. Add the thyme and tomato paste and cook for two minutes. Add the flour and cook for another two to three minutes. Add the white wine and scrape off the brown bits from the bottom. Add the broth and milk. Whisk the liquid on high heat and bring to a boil making sure all the lumps are smoothed away. Lower the heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the shrimp pieces and cook for two to three minutes making sure the shrimp is cooked. Add the half and half and turn the heat off. Check for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Add the lemon juice and serve hot with crusty bread.