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Prawn and Crab Bisque with Rosemary Croûtes

      This restaurant-style starter takes some time to prepare, but the velvety soup will win smiles of approval.

      Serves 8

      Hands-on time: 40 minutes

      Cooking time: about 1 hour

      800g (1lb 12oz) raw shell-on large prawns (tiger or king are ideal)

      1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

      1 large onion, chopped

      3 celery sticks, roughly chopped

      4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

      200ml (7fl oz) white wine

      50ml (2fl oz) Pernod (optional)

      1 tsp paprika

      2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

      1.7 litres (3 pints) fish stock

      300ml (½ pint) double cream, plus extra to drizzle

      100g (3½oz) cooked white crab meat

      15g (½oz) butter

      Per serving 337 cals, 14g protein, 24g fat (14g saturates), 10g carbs (9g total sugars), 3g fibre

       1. Peel the prawns and put the heads, shells, legs and tails into a large, deep pan. Rinse the peeled prawns, and chill on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

       2. Add the oil to the pan and put over a medium heat. Fry the prawn shells for 5 minutes, occasionally crushing them with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, celery and carrots, and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

       3. Pour the wine and the Pernod, if using, into the pan and leave to bubble for a few minutes to drive off the alcohol. Stir in the paprika and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

       4. Blend the soup in a blender or food-processor, shells and all, until it’s as smooth as you can get it (do this in batches if necessary). Next, push the mixture through a fine sieve back into the rinsed-out pan – really work the mixture hard, as this will give a better flavour. Discard any pulp that won’t go through the sieve.

       5. Put the pan back over the heat and add all but 16 of the raw, peeled prawns. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and leave to bubble for 5 minutes to cook the prawns. With a slotted spoon, lift the prawns out of the mixture and add to the rinsed-out blender, together with a couple of ladlefuls of the soup. Blend until completely smooth. Return the blended prawn mixture to the pan.

       6. To serve, stir the cream into the pan and add most of the crab meat. Heat gently until piping hot. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small frying pan on a medium heat and fry the remaining 16 raw prawns for 3–5 minutes until bright pink and cooked through. Check the seasoning of the soup, adding salt and pepper to taste, then ladle into eight warmed soup bowls. Top each with two cooked prawns and a sprinkling of crab meat. Drizzle over some oil and extra cream, and garnish with a grinding of black pepper. Serve immediately with the rosemary croûtes (see here).

       GET AHEAD

      Make up to end of step 5 up to a month ahead. Cool the soup completely, then transfer to a freezerproof container and freeze. Put the peeled prawns in a freezerproof bag and freeze. To serve, thaw both in the fridge overnight and complete the recipe.

Rosemary Croûtes

      Starting with a part-baked baguette makes these croûtes extra crispy.

      Makes 16 croûtes

      Hands-on time: 10 minutes

      Cooking time: about 15 minutes

      125g (4oz) part-baked baguette

      2½ tbsp olive oil

      1 tsp dried rosemary

      Per croûte 37 cals, 1g protein, 2g fat (0g saturates), 4g carbs (0g total sugars), 0g fibre

       1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Cut the baguette on the diagonal into slices about 1cm (½in) thick. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and brush the top of each slice with some of the oil. Cook for 10 minutes until the bread is lightly golden.

       2. Carefully take the baking sheet out of the oven and turn over the bread slices. Brush the untoasted sides with the remaining oil, season with salt and pepper and scatter over the rosemary. Return to the oven to cook for 5 minutes until the tops are toasted. Cool on a wire rack and serve with the Prawn and Crab Bisque.

       GET AHEAD

      Make the croûtes up to a week ahead. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.