Prawn & Pistachio Bisque with Armagnac Cream

⏱ 90 min · Serves 4

A silky, deep-coral bisque built properly from roasted prawn shells, softened with ground pistachios and finished with a whipped Armagnac cream that melts into the bowl. It tastes like a very good restaurant and smells even better.

Per serving: 610 kcal · 30.0g protein · 14.0g carbs · 46.0g fat

Ingredients

• 800g whole raw shell-on prawns (or 400g peeled prawns plus 400g shells/heads)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 60ml Armagnac (plus 2 tbsp for the cream)
• 150ml dry white wine
• 1.2 litres fish or light chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf, 2 thyme sprigs, 1 strip orange peel
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 80g shelled unsalted pistachios, plus 15g chopped to garnish
• 100ml double cream (for the soup)
• 150ml double cream (for the Armagnac cream)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Sea salt and white pepper
• Pistachio or olive oil, to finish

Method

1. Peel the prawns, keeping all shells and heads. Chill the prawn meat. Pat the shells dry.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pan over high heat and fry the shells and heads for 5–6 minutes, pressing down hard, until deeply pink, fragrant and lightly caramelised.
3. Add the butter, onion, carrot, fennel and garlic. Lower the heat and sweat for 10 minutes until soft and sweet.
4. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes. Pour in the 60ml Armagnac, stand back and flambé or simply let it bubble away for 1 minute. Add the wine and reduce by half.
5. Add the stock, bay, thyme and orange peel. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 35 minutes.
6. Meanwhile blitz the 80g pistachios to a fine paste in a small processor with a splash of the hot stock.
7. Fish out the herbs and orange peel. Blend the soup hard in batches (a jug blender is best), then push through a fine sieve, pressing firmly on the solids. Return to a clean pan.
8. Whisk in the pistachio paste and 100ml double cream. Simmer 5 minutes, season with salt, white pepper, cayenne and lemon juice. If it's thicker than double cream, loosen with a little stock.
9. Season the reserved prawn meat and sear in the remaining 1 tbsp oil for 1 minute a side, until just opaque. Cut a few in half lengthways.
10. Semi-whip the 150ml cream with 2 tbsp Armagnac and a pinch of salt to soft, spoonable peaks.
11. Ladle the hot bisque into warm bowls, add the prawns, spoon over the Armagnac cream, scatter chopped pistachios and finish with a thread of pistachio oil.