Prawn & Saffron Bisque with Cognac Chantilly

⏱ 95 min · Serves 4

A silky, deeply savoury bisque built from roasted prawn shells, sweet fennel and a bloom of saffron — finished at the table with a cloud of cold, boozy cognac cream that melts into the soup. Proper restaurant-grade stuff, and it all comes from shells you'd usually bin.

Per serving: 492 kcal · 22.0g protein · 13.0g carbs · 38.0g fat

Ingredients

• 600g whole raw shell-on prawns (heads on if possible)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 60ml cognac (plus 1 tbsp for the cream)
• 150ml dry white wine
• 1.2 litres fish or light chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf, 2 thyme sprigs
• 0.5 tsp good saffron threads
• 1 strip orange peel
• 2 tbsp long-grain rice (to thicken)
• 100ml double cream
• 1 tsp cayenne-spiked paprika or pinch cayenne
• Sea salt and white pepper
• Squeeze of lemon
• For the chantilly: 150ml double cream, well chilled
• 1 tbsp cognac
• Pinch of fine salt
• Snipped chives and a little olive oil, to serve

Method

1. Peel the prawns, keeping every shell and head. Reserve 8 of the nicest prawn tails in the fridge for garnish; roughly chop the rest.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pan over high heat. Fry the shells and heads for 5–6 minutes, pressing the heads with a wooden spoon to release their juices, until deep orange and smelling sweet and toasty.
3. Add the butter, onion, fennel, carrot, celery and garlic. Lower the heat and sweat 10 minutes until softened but not browned. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the 60ml cognac, let it bubble hard for 1 minute (flame it off-heat if you're confident), then add the white wine and reduce by half.
5. Add the stock, bay, thyme, orange peel, rice and the chopped prawn meat. Steep the saffron in 2 tbsp warm water for 5 minutes, then add. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 35 minutes.
6. Fish out the bay, thyme and orange peel. Blitz the soup hard in batches (shells and all) — a jug blender is best — then push through a fine sieve, pressing firmly to extract everything. Discard the solids and pass the liquid through the sieve a second time for a glassy finish.
7. Return to a clean pan, stir in the 100ml double cream and paprika/cayenne, and warm through. Season carefully with salt, white pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Loosen with a splash of stock if it's thicker than double cream.
8. Make the chantilly: whip the chilled 150ml cream with the 1 tbsp cognac and a pinch of salt to soft, spoonable peaks. Keep cold.
9. Sear the reserved prawns in the last 1 tbsp oil for 1 minute a side until just pink and season lightly.
10. Ladle the hot bisque into warm bowls, sit 2 prawns in each, add a generous spoon of cognac chantilly and finish with chives and a thread of olive oil. Serve at once.