For those observing Lent, seafood recipes are very popular during this time of year. This curried carrot soup and roasted shrimp recipe is a collaborative effort with my friends Sara McGhie and Diane Goodman. We attended a cooking class recently in Sonoma, California, and decided to revamp one of the dishes that was presented there. This thick and creamy soup has a lot of flavor, is thickened using cauliflower, and is complimented by spicy roasted shrimp. It's a hearty, entree size, soup that would be great served with a simple salad and some crunchy sourdough bread or a baguette. If you're having a larger, multi-course meal, then this soup can be served in small portions as an appetizer.
Citrus Curried Carrot Soup with Roasted Shrimp
collaborative recipe with friends Sara McGhie and Diane Goodman
Ingredients
Soup
3 tbl Butter
2 tbl Olive Oil
1 Leek, mostly white, split, washed well and sliced
1 med Onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves Garlic, smashed and chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 tbl Curry Powder
1 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 lb carrots, washed, tips and bottoms removed, roughly chopped
3/4 lb Cauliflower, roughly chopped
zest of an Orange
1 1/2 cu fresh Orange Juice
2 cu Vegetable Stock
Shrimp
3/4 lb med shrimp, peeled leave tails on 8
1 1/2 tbl Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
1/4 tsp Tumeric
1/4 Salt
1/4 Pepper
Garnish
1/4 cu fresh cilantro, minced
4 Lime Wedges
4 Thin Lemon Slices
Method
Heat butter and olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add leeks, onions, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, translucent, but not browning, about 10 minutes. Add curry powder, coriander and pepper. Stir mixture for about a minute. Add carrots, cauliflower, orange zest, orange juice, and vegetable stock. Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove pot from heat and either use an immersion blender or countertop blender to blend until smooth. If you're using a countertop blender, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE HOT MIXTURE. Blend in small batches. If your blender top has an insert, remove the insert and cover the opening in the top with a towel to allow steam to release but avoid splattering hot soup on you or your kitchen. Put soup back in stockpot. Check the consistency and flavor of the soup. If it is too thick, add a little water or orange juice. Add additional seasoning if necessary.
To prepare shrimp, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes until it is hot.
Separately, rinse shrimp in cold water and dry them really well with paper towels. Mix together olive oil, chili powder, curry, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. Toss shrimp in the mixture to coat well.
Open oven and slide out rack with the hot baking sheet. Put shrimp on the baking sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes, turning them once to get color on both sides. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Set aside the shrimp that have tails and roughly chop the remainder.
To serve, divide chopped shrimp among 4 serving bowls. Pour soup over shrimp pieces. Top soup with the tail-on shrimp and then garnish the bowl with lime wedges, lemon slices and minced cilantro. You can also put a pinch of curry in the center of the soup (optional). Encourage your guests to squeeze the lime into the soup before eating.
If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
