Red Miso Shrimp Bisque
Red Miso is one of four popular miso variations available in Japan. Made from fermented soybeans and barley or other grains, this is a staple in Japanese cuisine. The darker a miso is the stronger it will taste, so red miso has a very strong umami flavor. The shrimp also add some umami to the soup, especially since the shells of the shrimp are used separately and give the broth more shrimpy flavor. Miso is extremely important to Japanese culture and cuisine. Beginning in Feudal Japan, miso has provided protein, minerals, and vitamins to Japanese people of all economic statuses. Usually the miso was homemade, but today miso is produced through more commercial means and homemade miso is hard to come by. We did use a store-bought miso in our recipe, but if you are feeling especially adventurous, you could make your own. You would be waiting an extremely long time, approximately six months, before you would get to try out this recipe though!
Unlike a traditional bisque, this one didn’t use cream to get texture. This one used white rice and the miso to get that thickness. This is an interesting change to the regular and expected bisque routine. We left the tails on our shrimp, though you could remove the tails while you are cleaning your shrimp if you so desire. This recipe takes some time, but as Jeff says, “most good things do.”
This soup is visually quite beautiful, so it wouldn’t hurt to broadcast your final creation on Instagram for your friends to drool over. Our entire test kitchen was thrilled to try this beautiful soup and they absolutely loved the texture and flavor of it. We served it in a bowl and put the shrimp on top of the soup.
- 1 Lb. Large shrimp, in shell
- 2 Tbsp Canola oil
- 6 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups onion, rough chop
- 1 cup carrot, rough chop
- 1 cup celery, rough chop
- 6 cups water
- 1 Bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup Basmati rice
- 5 Tbsp Red Miso
- 1/4 cup Dry Sherry, or cooking sherry
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt Free Soup Seasoning
- *Optional- Fresh chopped parsley and Coarse Ground Pepper to taste
- Peel and de-vein shrimp, leaving tails on if desired. Refrigerate shrimp until ready for use, reserve shells.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring constantly until bright red, about 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste, celery, carrot and onion, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 6 cups water and a Bay leaf, and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low to simmer. Simmer for about 50 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. There should be approximately 4 cups liquid left. Discard solids.
- Add shrimp liquid, chicken stock, rice, Red Miso and sherry to the Dutch oven and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is nice and tender. Blend with an emulsion mixer until smooth, or carefully blend in small batches in a traditional blender. Keep warm until ready for use.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive and ½ Tsp Salt Free Soup Seasoning over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Serve soup in a bowl, and top with 5 shrimp. Garnish with Pepper and Parsley if desired.
