Black Bean Bisque
This delicious, Cuban-style Black Bean Bisque is topped with an incredible garnish of rock shrimp escabeche.
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, (divided)
- 1 pound rock shrimp, (peeled and de-veined)
- 1 medium onion, (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 2 medium poblano chile peppers, (cut into strips)
- 2 medium red bell peppers, (cut into strips)
- 4 medium garlic cloves, (minced)
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup sherry vinegar
- ½ pound smoked bacon, (chopped)
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- 1 pound dried black beans, (rinsed)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 medium tomatoes, (quartered)
- 1½ tablespoons chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 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.
- 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.
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:
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:
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!
