Creamy Thai Shrimp Soup (aka the Great Soup Stock-Up)

I had this idea that I should make up a bunch of soup and freeze it for meals later on. I still think this is a brilliant idea except that I don't have a very big freezer. Once I made up one batch of soup and went grocery shopping, that freezer was packed. It doesn't help that I store my ice cream bowl in the freezer for emergency ice cream making sessions or that the ice tray takes up a good 1/4 of the freezer.



But I'm still glad that I made at least one batch of soup and froze it because it has been a great time-saver, especially on Wednesday nights when I go to Yoga and don't get to dinner until after 9 p.m. at night.



Freezing soup is also a tricky thing. You can't freeze soups that have eggs in them or potatoes or a whole list of other ingredients. So when I stumbled upon a recipe for Thai Shrimp Bisque, I was hooked.






Thai Shrimp Bisque
Yield: 6 cups (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Marinade Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lime rind
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Shrimp stock Ingredients
2 cups water
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Soup Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Make the marinade: Peel shrimp and reserve shells. Combine shrimp and next 8 ingredients (shrimp though garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the the shrimp stock: Combine the reserved shrimp shells, water, wine and 1 tablespoon tomato paste in a large Dutch oven. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup (about 10 minutes). Strain mixture through a sieve over a bowl, and discard solids.

3. Prepare the soup: Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Add 1 cup shrimp stock, coconut milk, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Combine flour and reduced-fat milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan; reduce heat, and simmer until thick (about 5 minutes). Add shrimp and marinade, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime rind, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and salt.