Smoky Shrimp and Corn Soup

Smoky Shrimp and Corn Soup

One of those days that I was inspired by produce I wanted to use and what I had on hand. In the end I ended up with a really good soup that I will be making again soon. I had some fresh tomatoes and corn and some shrimp and bacon. Added a few more ingredients and the soup was finished. This soup was hearty enough that it could easily have been served over pasta or rice, too.

Smoky Shrimp and Corn Soup

4 c. peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes

2 ribs celery, chopped fine

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small leek, white part only, washed and chopped fine- you could use a small onion instead

1 c. stock- chicken, vegetable or seafood*

1/4 c. sherry, not cooking sherry

4 slices of thick-sliced bacon, chopped

corn kernels from 1 large ear of corn

1 1/2 lbs. raw medium shrimp, cleaned, shelled  and de-veined

hot pepper sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley

Make the soup base by combining the tomatoes, celery, peppers, leek, stock and sherry in a pot and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain off most of the fat in the pan and add the corn to the skillet with the bacon. Saute the corn for 3 or 4 minutes- to cook it and give it a little color. Puree the soup base.  I used an immersion blender so I didn’t have to take the soup out of the pan.  Add the bacon mixture and the raw shrimp to the soup base. Simmer until the shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes. Add hot sauce, adjust seasoning and add the parsley.  Serves 3-4.

* I had shrimp with shells on so I peeled the shells and placed the shells and tails in a little more than a cup of water and simmered them for 20 minutes to make a shrimp stock for my soup. Then I just strained out the shells and used it in the soup.