Shrimp Bisque Recipe Made in the Instant Pot

You may be familiar with making lobster bisque. But our Shrimp Bisque Recipe Made in the Instant Pot will be a great substitute and a ton of delicious comfort food in a bowl.

Shrimp Bisque Recipe Made in the Instant Pot

Today was brought to you by the letter S and the letter B! Shrimp. Bisque. Who’s hungry? We’re staying warm in the great state of Michigan with this bowl of comfort food. But, it doesn’t matter if it’s hot or cold outside, this bowl of Shrimp Bisque is a great choice any time of the year.

I am going to show you how to transform two pounds of shrimp into a delicious pot of delicious savory shrimp bisque

How to make Shrimp Bisque in the Instant Pot

All you need is an Instant Pot; we used two Instant Pots. But if you don’t have an extra Instant Pot, a skillet will work just fine. Shrimp Bisque is a lot like Lobster Bisque but with shrimp instead of lobster. A few years ago we visited Put-In-Bay and had their famous lobster bisque at The Boardwalk, and I thought why not make shrimp bisque?

I began with building a great flavor base by browning two cups of shrimp tails (shrimp shells work well too) with a little unsalted butter.

Fresh herbs are essential

To the shrimp tails, I added fresh herbs. Herbs bring out the best in almost any recipe and adding them to our shrimp bisque was a great move. For this recipe, we used fresh rosemary, thyme, and a couple of Bay leaves. I know, bay leaves aren’t fresh, but they do well in this recipe and add a bit of herbaceous magic.

I like using Land O’ Lakes butter, it’s what my mom and grandma used, and that’s good enough for me.

I love tomato paste! There, I said it, and I feel so much better! Tomato paste packs a lot of intensity and adding tomato paste to this shrimp bisque is a way to do a lot with a little. Just two tablespoons of tomato paste add big flavor that goes a long way.

Any good shrimp bisque starts with gathering the right ingredients and the following ingredients like garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme help build layers upon layers of savory flavor. I think we’re off to a great start.

Traditionally shrimp bisque is made with brandy, but why use brandy when whiskey is on the shelf? Definitely the right move.

Adding a combination of single malt whiskey and butter do things to shrimp that border on miraculous.

One tool you’ll want to have in your kitchen

One of many reasons I love making soup in an Instant Pot is not having to transfer the unfinished creamy soup to a blender to blend the soup to a smooth consistency. If you like making soups as much as I do, having an Instant Pot and a wand mixer is crucial. These two wonderful kitchen tools go together like peanut butter and grape jelly. If you have an Instant Pot get a wand mixer and vice versa.

Creamy. Savory. And a whole lot of delicious! Bon appetit!

Ingredients needed for Shrimp Bisque Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 large bay leaf or two medium bay leaves
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups of shrimp shells or shrimp tails
8 cups vegetable stock, homemade or a store brand
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium onion
1 cup celery with leaves
2 cloves garlic minced
14 grape-sized vine tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup single malt whiskey
2 pounds shrimp

Directions on how to make Shrimp Bisque in the Instant Pot

Select the Sauté function on the Instant Pot and add a tablespoon of unsalted butter, two cups of shrimp shells, a tablespoon of coarse sea salt, brown and stir the shells every minute or so for 5-7 minutes.
Add 8 cups of vegetable stock, bay leaf, sprigs of fresh rosemary, and thyme, and allow the mixture to simmer.
As the stock simmers, place a skillet over med-high heat and add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, when the oil is hot add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, a pinch of sea salt, and a few turns of freshly cracked black peppercorns. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat.
After 20 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp tails, bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme from the vegetable stock.
Add the vegetable mixture, along with the tomatoes to the stock, and using a wand mixer blend until smooth. If you don’t have a wand mixer use a ladle to transfer the mixture into a blender and blend.
Place the skillet over med-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of unsalted butter, when the butter is melted add in the malt whiskey. Add the vine tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to char, add the shrimp and cook for an additional three minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add 3/4 of this mixture to the blender and blend until smooth, reserve the remaining charred tomatoes and shrimp for finishing the bisque.
Next, add tomato paste to the Instant Pot along with the mixture from the blender and stir until smooth.
Lock on the lid and select the Rice setting and cooking under pressure for 12 minutes.
Allow the Instant Pot to naturally vent, should take about ten minutes, then remove the Instant Pot lid. Add the heavy cream and stir or blend the shrimp bisque for one minute.
Divide the shrimp bisque into bowls and top with the remaining shrimp and charred tomatoes.
Serve.

Pro-tip: Want to take your bowls of shrimp bisque up another notch? Here’s what I did.

To finish the shrimp bisque add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
When the oil is hot add one medium onion chopped and one clove of garlic. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
Add 1/4 cup of vegetable stock and one tablespoon of tomato paste.
Using a wire whisk mix the ingredients with the remaining grape tomatoes plus the remaining shrimp, and heat them until they are warmed through. Remove the skillet from heat.
Ladle shrimp bisque into two bowls and top with the shrimp mixture, serve with slices of crusty and buttery artisan bread. Enjoy!