This delicious, Cuban-style Black Bean Bisque is topped with an incredible garnish of rock shrimp escabeche.
This is not your typical, everyday soup. I found the recipe many years ago in a Coastal Living magazine. And it made an appearance at one of the gourmet dinner parties in my old neighborhood. It’s very good, and the rock shrimp topping is what really makes it special. Rock shrimp are a type of prawn with a hard shell, lobster-like flavor, and sweet, firm meat. If you are unable to locate rock shrimp, you can certainly use regular shrimp for this recipe.
Ingredients Needed for Rock Shrimp Escabeche:
- olive oil
- rock shrimp (or regular shrimp)
- onion
- poblano chile peppers
- red bell peppers
- garlic cloves
- bay leaves
- paprika, ground cumin, ground nutmeg and salt
- sherry vinegar
How to make Rock Shrimp Escabeche:
- In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the shrimp, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place the shrimp in a bowl, and cover with a paper towel.
- Add the remaining oil, onion, chile peppers, bell peppers and garlic to the skillet, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the bay leaves and remaining ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Pour the mixture over the shrimp. Cover and chill for 2 hours (or overnight). Discard the bay leaves before serving.
Ingredients Needed for making Black Bean Bisque:
- smoked bacon
- yellow onion
- celery
- carrot
- dried black beans
- ground cumin, chili powder and salt
- tomatoes
- canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- sherry vinegar
- heavy whipping cream
How to make Black Bean Bisque:
- In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan; drain the bacon on paper towels.
- Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add 2½ quarts of water, black beans, cumin, chili powder, tomato and chipotles; bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and cook at a brisk simmer, skimming any foam, for 1½ hours or until the beans are tender. Add the salt and vinegar during the last 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and stir in the cream. Puree using an immersion blender.
Top each serving with a generous spoonful of that fantastic rock shrimp escabeche!
What I Love About This Recipe:
- It’s a great soup to serve as a starter for a special dinner with friends!
- I love the look of surprise when I serve this soup. No one expects these ingredients or flavors!
- It’s delicious!
PREPARE THE ESCABECHE:
-
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the shrimp, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place the shrimp in a bowl, and cover with a paper towel.
-
Add the remaining oil, onion, chile peppers, bell peppers and garlic to the skillet, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the bay leaves and remaining ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Pour the mixture over the shrimp. Cover and chill for 2 hours (or overnight). Discard the bay leaves before serving.
PREPARE THE SOUP:
-
In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan; drain the bacon on paper towels.
-
Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add 2½ quarts of water, black beans, cumin, chili powder, tomato and chipotles; bring to a boil.
-
Reduce the heat to medium, and cook at a brisk simmer, skimming any foam, for 1½ hours or until the beans are tender. Add the salt and vinegar during the last 5 minutes.
-
Remove from heat, and stir in the cream. Puree using an immersion blender. Top each serving with a spoonful of the Rock Shrimp Escabeche.
- If you wish to prepare this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just make sure that you are using bacon and chipotles in adobo sauce that are designated as GF.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 519kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 1085mg, Potassium: 1303mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 3670IU, Vitamin C: 70mg, Calcium: 146mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.