Cold weather calls for this Beluga lentil-shrimp soup. A hearty soup that has to be on your holiday menu. Earthy lentils cooked in shrimp stock, creamy coconut and spicy shrimps all garnished with fresh coriander and lime make it incredibly delicious.
It’s not a secret anymore that I love soups. I’m especially a big fan of thick, rich and flavourful soups. And this soup has it all. The lentils make it thick, the coconut milk, shrimps (oh, I love those! Check this bacon-wrapped shrimp salad or spicy garlic-coconut shrimps) and cilantro make it rich and flavourful. To enhance the shrimp flavour, even more, I also made a shrimp stock.
Shrimps from head to tail
Making a shrimp stock is really easy and quick and it’s a great way how to use shrimp “leftovers” and to bring the flavour to another level. Many people find the head to be the best, most flavourful part of the shrimp. In fact, there is a lot of delicious juices in the head, which you enjoy by sucking them out and not by eating the head. Wink.
In addition, the heads are also rich in antioxidants. They may contain even 10 times more antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables. Amazing! Therefore, when cleaning the shrimps, instead of discarding the shells, heads and tails, put them in a pot and make a stock. Yummy.
Homemade shrimp stock
Furthermore, it really takes you a couple of minutes to put together a shrimp stock. I used peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaves and carrots together with shrimp heads, shells and tails. All of these spices and herbs can be easily found at any supermarket. I also need to say, that I left some shrimps with the heads and tails intact, in order to make the dish look gorgeous.
After you have your tasty shrimp stock, strain it and use it in soups, for risottos or anything else where you want to make the shrimp flavour stand out.
I always clean the shrimps and remove the so-called dark vein, which is only the digestive tract. This vein contains what the shrimp ate before being cought. In fact, it could have alge or sand in it. Therefore, you don’t really need to remove it. The black vein is no harm at all. But I think the shrimp simply looks better without it. Wink.
We all know that shrimps get that lovely bright orange-pink colour when cooked. Since I wanted some colour contrast on my plate, I decided on black beluga lentils. You can also use rice, quinoa or any other lentils. Beluga lentils are great, but they release some colour. Consequently, the cooking water turns dark, almost black. Therefore, I discarded the water halfway through cooking and then cooked it in the shrimp stock.
Make sure you don’t miss these lentil recipes: beetroot Beluga lentils burgers, the amazing red lentil chili or vegetarian cherry tomatoes on lentils.
Ingredients for two portions of Beluga lentil-shrimp soup:
- 20 fresh shrimps
- olive oil
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 carrot (coarsely chopped)
- 50 ml white wine
- 200 g Beluga lentils
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 200 ml pelati tomatoes (whole peeled tomatoes)
- 100 ml of canned coconut milk
- chili oil (optional)
- fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
To begin, using a small knife, starting at the head going towards the tail, make a shallow cut on the top (shrimp’s back) of the shell. If you decide to keep the tails and the heads, then break off the shell at the base of the tail and the head and peel off the shell (feet included), leaving the tail and head intact. However, whatever you decide to keep or peel off, do not discard the shells, broken tails and heads. Keep them aside in a bowl, instead.
Moreover, carefully remove the black vein, which also runs along the back of the shrimp and discard it. Keep the cleaned shrimps on a side, while you prepare the shrimp stock.
Then, peel and chop the onion and garlic and roughly crash the coriander seeds. In a medium deep pot, heat some olive oil on a medium heat. Once hot, add the shrimp shells and heads, that you have left and cook for about 4 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent them from burning or sticking.
At this point, add the coriander seeds, onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and carrot. Add a splash of white wine and stir. Once the wine evaporates, add the tomato paste and pour in 250 ml warm water. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
At the same time, you can cook the lentils. In a medium pot, bring the water to boil, add the lentils and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Then, drain them and put back in the pot. After the shrimp stock is ready, strain it through a sieve into the pot with lentils and add the pelati tomatoes. Cook for about 10 more minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes or until al dente yet cooked through.
Meanwhile, prepare the shrimps. In a small skillet, heat some chili oil. Once hot, add the shrimps and fry until bright orange and slightly charred.
Finally, divide the lentil soup between the bowls and top with spicy shrimps. In order to make this Beluga lentil-shrimp soup really amazing, garnish it with fresh coriander and fresh lime wedges. Your winter and autumn day will be way more beautiful when eating this gorgeous dish.
Enjoy!
