Recipe: Southwestern Shrimp Bisque

My mom got me a subscription to Taste of Home magazine which I use a lot.  There are always a variety of easy and delicious recipes that look great.  The most recent issue had a recipe for Shrimp Bisque which looked and sounded unique and tasty.  I had never made a bisque before and love shrimp, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro and sliced avocado, optional

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender.  Add garlic; cook one minute longer.

Stir in four until blended. Stir in water, cream, bouillon and seasonings; bring to a boil.  reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Cut shrimp into bite-size pieces if desired; add shrimp to soup.  Simmer 5-10 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink.  Place sour cream in a small bowl; gradually stir in 1/2 cup hot soup.  return all to the pan, stirring constantly.  Heat through. (do not boil).  If desired, top with cilantro and avocado.

This was such an easy soup to make and it turned out really great!  I didn't put avocado on mine, but I did put some cilantro.  I thought this had a nice kick and I would maybe even add a bit more chili powder and possibly red pepper flakes next time, I like it even spicier.

We had this with a side Caesar salad and it made a great dinner!  This was a serving for 2-3, but that was all, so if you want to serve more people you would want to double the recipe.  Enjoy!
~Kate

Recipe from Taste of Home April/May 2012