Sunday, April 28, 2013

Spicy shrimp chowder (Chupe de camarones)


Chupe de camarones is a spicy chowder with vegetables and shrimps served widely along South America's Pacific coast from Chile to Peru. But when I decided to prepare a thick soup including shrimps I didn't know these details. Shrimps are on our table at least 2-3 times a month in many variations -  saganaki, fried with Chorizo, on a pizza or with pasta. But I've never tryed  to prepare shrimp soup or chowder before. Before starting my search on the Internet I tried to imagine my expectations from this soup. I want it to be spicy, so hot peppers as an ingredient are a must. Garlic is a good partner of shrimps, so I put it in the list. Cream to thicken the soup and provide a buttery aroma. Cheese which will add saltiness and will enhance the whole taste of the chowder. What else? Had no idea. So I spent more than an hour searching here and there on the Internet for my inspirational source and I saw many recipes. Then I saw this recipe and I immediately knew, this was what I was looking for. 



Ingredients:
  • 750g shrimps
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp chilli paste
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 medium potato, cut into 2cm cubes
  • 1 cup feta cheese for garnish
  • 1 Tbsp ground hot peppers for garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste


Preparation:
Shell and devein shrimps. Put shells into a pot, cover with water and cook on medium heat  for 15 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor and strain. Put butter into a pan and sautee onion, garlic and potato cubes for 10 minutes. Add chilly paste, stirr to incorporate and add shrimp stock, heavy cream and the peas. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add shrimps and salt, cook for 5 minutes. Add eggs in slow stream, sprinkle with pepper and serve. Garnish every bowl with some crumbled feta cheese and some pepper.

2 comments:

  1. This is a beautiful soup! Simple enough to make, but looks like a million bucks!

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    Replies
    1. It is really a very photogenic soup, Jeff, but it is also very tasty and if like really hot dishes, you will enjoy its taste!

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