New Orleans Shrimp and Corn Bisque
Louisiana style decadent and creamy corn and shrimp bisque. This creamy soup is rich and flavorful with cajun shrimp and fresh corn. It’s an impressive soup that would fit right in at any New Orleans restaurant.
A comforting soup is just what you need when the temperature drops. Try a creamy soup like this cajun shrimp and crab bisque, 4 Ingredient Potato Soup, or Butternut Squash Soup. For something more chunky go for Homemade Vegetable Soup or a classic Chicken Noodle Soup. You’ll be warm and cozy in no time!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Lauren’s Take: This is a rich, indulgent, and restaurant worthy bisque that’s impressive for entertaining. It’s great on its own, but would be the perfect dish to start off a nice dinner for a special occasion or holiday. I love that it can be made in advance and it even freezes surprisingly well.
Taste: Rich, buttery, and very flavorful with mild cajun spice.
Texture: Creamy with tender shrimp, studded with juicy corn and bites of bacon.
Time: So it’s not a quick recipe, but it is definitely worth the time. You’ll need just over an hour. Plus more if you’re making your own shrimp stock (I highly recommend!)
Testing Notes: I’ve tested this recipe with homemade seafood stock and store bought chicken stock. While they are both great, using homemade shrimp stock makes it extra special.
Ingredients & Substitutions
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
- Fresh shrimp – Frozen shrimp work just fine for this soup too. Defrost them first overnight in the refrigerator or place them in cold water. Bite sized small to medium shrimp work best, like the 41/50 size. If you have larger shrimp, you can cut them into bite size pieces before adding them to the bisque to cook. Save your shrimp shells for seafood stock!
- Bacon – Bacon adds extra umami flavor and also gives you bacon grease to sauté the holy trinity in.
- Produce – This recipes uses the Cajun Holy Trinity – onion, bell pepper, and celery. Use yellow or white onion. Any color bell pepper will work for this. Use fresh garlic for the best flavor. I use the white and green part of green onions. Fresh sweet corn is great, but you can substitute for frozen corn or even drained canned corn.
- Cooking sherry – Substitute with white wine, or broth.
- Butter – You will need a whole stick of butter. Use the real stuff! I prefer a European style butter for the best flavor.
- Shrimp stock – Homemade Shrimp Stock really takes this bisque to the next level. Substitute for vegetable, seafood, or chicken stock.
- Cajun seasoning – Use store bought or make your own Homemade Cajun Seasoning. Most store bought brands of cajun or creole seasoning can be very salty, so use a little first, then add more as needed.
- Heavy cream – Heavy whipping cream works best for this soup. Substitute for half and half if you have to, but the soup will not be as thick and creamy.
Variations
- Bay leaf – I don’t use bay leaves in this shrimp bisque since I use it in my homemade shrimp broth, but feel free to add one in during simmering.
- Tomato paste – I also don’t use tomato paste since I use it in the stock. If you want to add extra tomato flavor, add 1-3 teaspoons of tomato paste after the garlic but before the sherry. Allow the tomato paste to caramelize and darken for a few minutes before deglazing.
- Crab – You can add in 8 ounces of lump crab meat to make this a seafood bisque. Add it in at the end with the shrimp.
- Crawfish – Replace the shrimp with cooked crawfish tails or add them with the shrimp.
Equipment needed
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Buy Now → How to Make Corn and Shrimp Bisque
Before you begin, you might want to make your own Homemade Shrimp Stock, I highly recommend it for adding even more flavor to this delicious soup!
Step One: Sauté
Crisp bacon, then sauté onion, bell pepper, and celery until vegetables are softening, then add in garlic.
Step Two: Roux
Deglaze with sherry, then melt butter and sprinkle flour over the bacon and vegetables. Cook while stirring. It will look thick and clumpy.
Step Three: Whisk
Slowly whisk in shrimp stock, a little at a time, until there are no lumps of flour. Add water and mix.
Step Four: Simmer
Add half of the parsley and half of the green onions. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step Five: Cook
Add in seasoned raw shrimp, corn, and heavy cream with the remaining parsley and green onions. Simmer until shrimp are pink and opaque.
Step Six: Serve
Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot with some crusty bread! Garnish with more green onions, parsley and/or bacon.
Expert Tips
- Make your own shrimp stock! Making a Homemade Shrimp Stock takes a little extra work, but is so worth the flavor pay off. Buy head on shrimp for the best stock flavor.
- Save the corn cobs for stock. They add extra flavor and a little sweetness to vegetable stock. I save my veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer until I have enough to make vegetable scrap stock.
- Warm up stock and cream before adding it into the soup. This helps it come to a boil and cook the shrimp faster.
- Whisk in stock a little at a time. Add about ½ cup at a time, and whisk until all the lumps are gone, then add another half cup. Repeat until all the stock is incorporated so there are no lumps in the final product.
- Layer the flavors. I usually start sautéing my holy trinity or mirepoix with a pinch of salt, but not for this recipe. The bacon has enough salt to start seasoning the vegetables, and adding more can cause the bisque to be over salted. Green onions and parsley are added at two different times during the cooking process to layer the flavors.
Storage & make ahead
How to store leftovers: With any seafood recipe, you want to make sure it is cool before storing in the refrigerator. Do not store the whole pot in the refrigerator. If you need to store a whole batch, break it down into smaller containers so it can cool faster. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
How to freeze: I’m happy to report this soup freezes well! Cool down then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or place the container under cold running water.
How to reheat: The best way to reheat this soup is in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the soup is warmed throughout. Don’t boil it. Microwaving may cause the shrimp to become rubbery.
What to Serve With Corn and Shrimp Bisque
Serve this delicious soup with a seafood main course and a simple salad or roasted vegetable side dish.
More Cajun and New Orleans Recipes
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Louisiana Shrimp and Corn Bisque Recipe
Equipment
- Whisk
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon
- 1 medium yellow onion
- ½ bell pepper any color
- 2 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup sherry cooking wine
- 8 tablespoons butter 1 stick, or ½ cup
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups shrimp stock or chicken, vegetable, or seafood stock
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2-4 green onions
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1 ½ pounds medium raw shrimp 41/50 or similar size
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning or to taste
- 4 ears of corn 2-3 cups of kernels
- 2 cups heavy cream warmed
- Salt black pepper, or cajun seasoning to taste
Instructions
- PREP: Finely chop onion (1 cup), bell pepper (½ cup), celery (½ cup), green onions (½ cup), and parsley (¼ cup). Mince garlic. Remove corn kernels from the cob. Chop bacon into small pieces. Peel and devein shrimp. Pat shrimp dry and season evenly with cajun seasoning. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Measure out other ingredients.
- CRISP: Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add chopped bacon. Cook for about 8 minutes until bacon is starting to crisp, stirring occasionally. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
- SAUTÉ: Turn heat to medium-low and add in onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes with the bacon until vegetables are softening. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute while stirring.
- DEGLAZE: Add in sherry to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow alcohol to burn off.
- ROUX: Add butter to the pot to melt. Once melted, sprinkle flour over the bacon and vegetable mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, while stirring and scraping up the bottom, until flour has slightly darkened. It will look thick and clumpy.
- SIMMER: Slowly whisk in shrimp stock, a little at a time, until incorporated and there are no lumps of flour. Add an additional 1 ½ cups of water and mix in. Add half of the parsley and half of the green onions. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat or foam that rises to the top. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick.
- COOK: Add in seasoned raw shrimp, corn, and heavy cream. Add in remaining parsley and green onions, or reserve for garnishing each serving. Bring back up to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through and pink.
- FINISH: Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or cajun seasoning as needed.
- SERVE: Serve hot, option to garnish with more parsley and/or green onions.
Notes
- I highly recommend making homemade shrimp stock for this soup. It takes it to the next level!
- If buying head on shrimp, get 2 pounds.
- Bite sized small to medium shrimp work best, like the 41/50 size. If you have large shrimp, you can cut them into bite size pieces before adding them to the bisque to cook.
- Leftovers: With any seafood recipe, make sure it is cool before storing in the refrigerator. Break it down into smaller containers so it can cool faster. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- How to freeze: Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or place the container under cold running water.
- How to reheat: The best way to reheat this soup is in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the soup is warmed throughout. Don’t boil it. Microwaving may cause the shrimp to become rubbery.
Nutrition
Meet Lauren
I’m the blogger, recipe developer, food photographer, and otherwise food obsessed gal behind Lauren From Scratch. I was born and raised in New Orleans and lived in South Louisiana most of my life. Growing up around Cajun country has instilled a love of food that runs deep in my bones. I am passionate about food and teaching you how to make mouth-watering Louisiana inspired dishes in your own kitchen!
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