Prawn soup

I love to make this hearty soup using the leftover heads and skins of prawns.
If you do not want to add the cream, use coconut cream instead.

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

• 50 g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 1 handful of chopped Parsley 
• 1sprig of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 125 ml brandy or dry vermouth
• 1 kg cooked langoustines, in their shells
• 1.5 litres fish stock. You can also use chicken stock for a milder flavor.
• 200 ml double cream or coconut cream
• 1-2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 pinch smoked paprika or chilli powder
• 1 lemon, juice only

Method
1. Heat the butter in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat until foaming and gently fry the onion, garlic, two sprigs of thyme, parsley and bay leaves for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions have softened.

2. Pour in the dry vermouth and cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half.

3. Meanwhile peel the langoustines, reserving all the shells and heads. Add these to the pan, crushing the shells and heads with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible.

4. Cover with the fish stock and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes, then strain the stock through a colander, crushing the shells with a rolling pin. Strain the stock again through a fine sieve into a clean pan.

5. Add the cream and lemon juice to the strained stock and warm through gently. Add the langoustine meat, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. To serve, ladle the bisque into bowls. Roughly chop the remaining parsley and use to garnish the bisque.