| As in many other soups and
stocks using shrimp, we use unpeeled shrimp in the preparation
of this recipe which gives the dish an intense flavor. You
may wish to add 2 tablespoons dry white wine to the leeks
while sautéing to further enhance this soup’s
earthy but refined flavor.
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 pound large shrimp, unpeeled
- 4 threads saffron
- 4 large leeks, cleaned and chopped
- 3 cups fish stock
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Method:
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat.
Add the shrimp and saffron, and sauté until the shrimp
become red, about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan,
and bring the pan back up to high heat. Add the leeks, and
sauté for 30 seconds. Add enough stock to cover the
leeks by about 1 ½ inches. Bring the stock to a simmer,
and cook gently until the leeks are tender, about 8 minutes.
Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly. Place the cooled
soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.
Strain through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan
over low heat. Stir in cream and simmer until the soup is
thickened, about 5 minutes. Peel and de-vein shrimp, then
add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Quick Tip:
Saffron is a pungent, slightly bitter spice that comes from
the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus plant. It is available
in yellow-orange powdered and burnt-orange thread forms and
originated in the East. Whether you find saffron from Spain,
Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, or somewhere else, it’s
expensive. This is because it takes around 85,000 stigmas
to create just over a pound of saffron.
But in cooking, a little goes a long way in adding flavor
and color to soups, stocks, risotto, paella, meats, vegetables,
and desserts. If you don’t want to spring for the real
thing, you can substitute safflower, called “bastard
saffron,” or turmeric.
Wine Pairings:
Hidalgo Amontillado Napoleon, Sanlúcar de Barrameda,
from Spain
Bodegas Angel Rodriguez Martinsancho Verdejo from Spain
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