Creamy Carrot soup with charred shrimp

Never underestimate the power of shrimp on anything!  It makes every dish sweeter and more succulent by being included in the party. Case in point: this Creamy Carrot soup with Charred Shrimp had us going back for more every time. What started out as a light lunch made encores into dinner for the next 2 days…. #noshame

• Its Low Carb
• Looks pretty
• Super high in beta carotene
• It’s a flexible recipe, you can have it hot or cold, all year round

We conceived this soup as an appetizer for clients celebrating a belated 35 year anniversary here in Miami. At first, the wife was hesitant to try the soup, thinking she wouldn’t like it, but after the first bite, she loved it!

Weeks later we had another event with them and she was still raving about this soup. Her husband quietly turned to me saying

“she doesnt remember what she had for breakfast this morning….but she remembers this soup”

How to make Creamy Carrot Soup

Making Creamy Carrot soup is a simple one pot situation. It starts with onions and ends with softened carrots ready for the blender.

When you saute onions, you release their natural sugars. As they cook, the onions start caramelizing and developing a deeper flavor. It’s important to let the onions caramelize before adding the carrots. Carrots have a lot of water and won’t let the onions caramelize properly.

Once the onions are caramelized, add the carrots and liquid. You dont need to brown the carrots, they will cook with the liquid until fork tender. Blend everything together

Using Broth vs. Water

Using broth or water to cook the carrots largely depends on where you are going with this soup. If it’s winter, and you want a hot soup, use Chicken or vegetable broth. It has more aromatic compounds that will be released with the heat.

If it’s hot outside and you want a more refreshing soup, omit the broth and stick with water. You can flavor it with more refreshing things like alcohols, fruits, or citrus juices.

Like this Chilled Strawberry Coconut soup that has coconut flakes and fresh strawberries

Adding Flavor with Tangerine Juice or Vodka

To make the chilled soup even more interesting, you can add a citrusy tangerine juice (fresh orange juice works too). It adds a sweet, bright note to the flavor that makes it fun to eat.

You can enhance it further by adding a shot of vodka to the soup too! From a chef’s perspective, unflavored Vodka does not add any unique flavor, but it enhances the flavors already present. If you’ve ever had a Screwdriver, it’s the same logic. You’ll taste more of the orange juice than if you just had orange juice by itself.

How to cook shrimp

Cooking shrimp is best on cast iron skillets, but any non-stick pan on high heat will do. Add a little oil to the pan and the shrimp. Don’t move them for 2-3 minutes per side. You want the heat to develop that caramelization.

Alternatively, if you have a blowtorch, you can torch the shrimp to get a fast caramelization without overcooking it. This approach sears the shrimp like a steak but does not allow the heat to penetrate deep enough to overcook it.

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