I’m sitting here at 10:41am eating leftover Spicy Shrimp Soup for breakfast because ITS DELICIOUSNESS KNOWS NO TIME NOR EARTHLY BOUNDS. Well, maybe earthly bounds. It’d be pretty hard to eat soup I guess…anywhere else?
Anyway, file Spicy Shrimp Soup under mission accomplished. See, there’s a wonderful Ecuadorian restaurant here in town that’s run by the nicest family, and was even featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The food is succulent, cooked from scratch, and satisfying in the way that only your Mom or Grandma’s cooking can be. You feel the love put into every dish.
Only problem is that last year I got sick eating my very favorite menu item, Camarones al Ajillo, or spicy shrimp in garlic sauce, which this restaurant serves as a soup. It really isn’t the restaurant’s fault, as their menu doesn’t even have gluten-free items listed (very small and the waiters know every ingredient in every dish,) plus I’d eaten the soup dozens of times with no issues. My only guess is that the cook sprinkled in flour to thicken the dish up that day or something.
Super long-winded way to tell you that, as a result, Ben and I have been trying regularly and unsuccessfully for the past six months to recreate the soup at home, and last week we FINALLY got it right! I have a feeling the recipe title might not jump out at you at first glance, but selfishly I’m so glad to have this recipe perfected and documented because we will be making it for the rest of our days.
Spicy Shrimp Soup is comfort in a bowl. A combination of chicken and seafood stock simmered with jalapeno, a truckload of garlic, dried herbs and lime juice literally warms you from the inside out. Jumbo shrimp are cooked in the broth for a minute or two before being ladeled into bowls and served with cooked white rice, fresh cilantro, and raw jalapeno slices. The simmered jalapeno gives the soup warmth, while the raw jalapeno slices give each bite a little kick. This soup is SO spectacular.
How Spicy Is It:
I don’t love dishes that blow my face off so, as written, with 1 being ice cream and 10 being a ghost pepper, I’d rate this recipe as a 5 on the heat scale. Lincoln can even eat it without the raw jalapeno slices.
Gahhh, you guys, this soup is incredible! I know it’s in the 80s in some parts of the country but this soup is actually kind of refreshing on account of the lime juice and cilantro, though fellow snow trompers, the jalapeno in here will make that -20 degree wind chill feel like no big deal. I guess I should run that claim by Ben, whose beard turned to ice whilst shoveling 4″ of snow from the driveway this morning, so I’ll report back. In the meantime, PLEASE try this spectacular, gluten-free soup recipe!
How to Make Spicy Shrimp Soup:
Start by melting 4 Tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat (doooon’t even try to skimp on the butter – 4 Tablespoons is what you need for the best flavor!) Add 1 large shallot that’s been finely minced and 5 garlic cloves that have been pressed or finely minced then turn the heat down just a touch and saute until tender and light golden brown, 5 minutes. The butter should just barely be sizzling as you don’t want the garlic to brown, just soften.
Sprinkle in 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour (could use all-purpose flour, but the soup will not be gluten-free,) then stir to combine and saute for 1 minute.
Next add all the flavorings and goodies: 3 cups chicken stock, 2 cups seafood stock, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 jalapeno that’s been sliced away from the ribs and seeds (leave the ribs and seeds in for a spicier soup and/or use 2 jalapenos,) 3 small bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano and salt, and 1/4 teaspoon each dried thyme and white pepper.
I recommend using stock versus broth in this recipe to get a souper (see what I did there) rich and comforting soup. Gluten-free seafood stock can be tricky to find, but Imagine brand is awesome if you can locate it!
Bring the soup to a boil then place a lid partially on top, turn the heat down, and simmer for 30 minutes. When the 30 minutes are up, remove the jalapenos and bay leaves then season with fresh lime juice to taste. I usually end up using around 1/3 of a fresh lime.
Turn the heat to high to bring the soup back up to a boil then add 3/4lb jumbo shrimp that have been peeled and deveined. Leave the tails on or off – totally up to you.
The shrimp will cook in a minute or two, so once they’re pink and plump, scoop the soup into bowls then add cooked long grain white rice, plenty of chopped cilantro, and sliced raw jalapenos. The jalapenos that simmer in the soup add a wonderful warmth to the broth, while the raw slices lend a kick. Definitely don’t leave them or the cilantro out. Serve fresh lime wedges on the side and you are SET, my friend! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try – we really do love it so!! Enjoy!
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Spicy Shrimp Soup
Description
Spicy Shrimp Soup is a copycat recipe from our favorite Ecuadorian restaurant. Spicy, garlicky, and comforting, you will eat bowl after bowl of this easy soup recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large shallot, microplaned or minced
- 5 cloves garlic, microplaned, pressed or minced
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups seafood stock (I like Imagine brand)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 jalapeños, divided (1 jalapeño sliced from the ribs/seeds, 1 sliced into rings)
- 3 small bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 3/4lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 limes (1 cut in half, 1 cut into wedges)
- chopped fresh cilantro
- cooked white rice
Directions
- Melt butter in a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic then turn heat down a touch and saute until light brown and tender, 5 minutes - make sure butter is just barely sizzling as to not brown the garlic. Sprinkle in flour then stir to combine and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add tomato sauce then stir to combine, ensuring there’s no lumps in the flour/butter mixture. Add seafood stock, chicken stock, the jalapeño that’s been sliced from the ribs and seeds, bay leaves, and spices. Turn heat up to bring soup to a boil then turn back down to medium, place a lid partially on top and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and jalapeños then add lime juice to taste, and salt if needed. I usually use about 1/3 of a fresh lime.
- Turn heat back up to high to bring the soup to a boil then add shrimp and boil until cooked through - 1-2 minutes. Scoop soup into bowls then top with cooked rice. Add sliced raw jalapeños (these add a ton of flavor and heat vs just being a garnish so don’t skip!) and chopped cilantro then serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- For a spicier soup, leave the ribs and seeds on the jalapeno that simmers in the soup, or use two jalapenos.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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Hi Heather! I made your recipe for my boyfriend and he thought it was delicious! The only thing he requested is that I add in veggies to make it more filling, as he ate the whole pot on his own. What veggies do you think would complement this recipe?
Can I get the nutritional information on this soup? I made it and we all loved it! I am trying to track what I eat. Thank you!
I live in Mexico and haven’t found shrimp soup this delicious! And to be clear, they make some mean soups here! Just the right amount of spice, and so quick and easy to make! Thank you! This will be a regular in our house.
This was super delicious – perfect as an isolation treat. Thank you!
What’s a good substitute for seafood stock?
You could use chicken stock instead!
This looks beautiful and delicious.
“Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.”
-Bubba Blue
The spicy shrimp soup was simply AMAZING!
Hi! This recipe sounds delicious and I will be making this very soon. I have a lot of shrimp stock I made from the shells previously and was wondering if you can substitue any of the chicken stock for more of the shrimp or is there a reason you use the 2 kinds of stock/broth and I should keep it that way?
You bet, Stephanie! I use a mixture because I don’t prefer a super fishy-tasting soup. Feel free to use more of your homemade stock though!
How many calories per serving? Sorry if I missed that information. :)
Can I use olive oil instead of butter?
Hi Carol! You can, but the butter lends a really wonderful flavor to this soup. It takes any potentially tinnyness out of the tomatoes, too!
This recipe sound DELICIOUS! I’m convinced & planning to try it for dinner today. One question, why do you say to remove the jalapeños & bay leaves after simmering 30mins & before adding the lime juice?
Thank you
The first time I made this soup, I mistakenly used tomato sauce with basil & oregano. Oh my, it turned out wonderful! I have used the base recipe to make this a vegetable soup and another time put TVP as we didn’t have any shrimp. I don’t use the seafood stock, just chicken stock if I don’t add shrimp. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, my husband and I absolutely love it!!!
What do you think about adding a green veggie to this recipe? Ex. Kale, okra or spinach. Also instead of rice maybe some sort of noodle. Asking for a friend
Chopped baby spinach could be good stirred in at the end!
First time trying it & I loved it ! I love everything spicy so I added extra jalapeño. You cannot go wrong with this recipe 😋 thank you for sharing!
This is just what the dr ordered
So full of flavor!
I definitely will be making this again. My husband loved and so did my super picky son. Thanks for the recipe!
Yummy! I love the way the flour adds some extra creaminess without heaviness. The lime juice adds a bright note and the dish is really well-balanced. Thank you!
So delicious!
Outrageously delicious! The flavors are fantastic. After finding your recipe, I’ve been glued to your site. This had layers of flavor and so well balanced. After making it, We decided to make a batch and freeze the sauce. We use precooked shrimp, so we just defrost the sauce, and add the amount of shrimp needed for the one meal and bam….a fast delicious meal. Great for RV trips too. Heading to your hamburger soup now. Thank you so much for sharing. Appreciate it!
Can’t find the seafood broth, I did buy some Zatarain’s crab boil concentrate I was wondering if I could use that but not sure how much to use to make just one cup???
Hi Tom! I haven’t used that product before so I can’t say for sure. I would just maybe try and divide what they’ve listed for directions on the product.
I don’t usually leave comments but this is the most perfect soup in the history of soups. My husband and I have managed to finish the whole thing in one go a couple of times😂🙈 I see u advising that it’s better to add separate shrimp for leftovers than reheat, is there a big reason for this? Cos I usually reheat and it seems perfectly fine. This is a regular dish in our home
Oh my gosh – so thrilled to hear you guys love this recipe so much!! Shrimp can become tough and rubbery if overcooked/reheated which is why I advise always cooking them fresh. If it’s been working for you though then I’d say to keep going for it!