This hearty black shrimp soup easily becomes a welcoming dinner! Soups are great family fare, like this one…

Serves: 6 Prep. time: 20′ Cooks in: 55′ Ready in: 1:15

Ingredients
500 g small shrimps
6 medium shrimps
1 tbsp squid ink powder
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 leek, finely chopped
1 floury potato, chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 cup white dry wine
800 ml water
100 ml single cream
salt, black pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For serving
1 tbsp butter
100 ml double cream, lightly beaten

Method
Step 1
Peel the shells and remove the head and the tail of the small shrimps, keeping meat in a separate bowl from the shells, heads and tails. Peel shells from the medium shrimps, keeping the head and tail. Pull the vein out using a knife or a toothpick. Rinse the shrimps.

Step 2
Heat butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large pot and stir in onion, one carrot, one sprig of celery and shrimp shells, heads and tails. Sauté until translucent. Add water and simmer on low heat for 20 mins with lid on. Remove pan from heat and strain, squeezing with the back of a spoon so that all juices are released.

Step 3
Heat remaining oil in the same clean and dry pot and stir second onion, carrot, celery and potato. Sauté for 1′-2′ or until translucent. Stir in wine and when it evaporates add strained shrimp stock. Simmer on low heat with lid on until veggies are tender. 5 mins before removing pan from heat add small shrimp meat. Whizz using a stick blender until smooth and shiny. Stir in cream, squid ink powder and boil for 1-2 minutes. Check for salt and pepper and season accordingly.

Step 4
Serving: Sauté the six shrimps in the butter until their color changes on both sides. Divide soup in 6 bowls with dots of whipped double cream and one sautéed shrimp and crunchy filo sticks of your choice.

Photo: Vangelis Paterakis – Food styling: Antonia Kati

Και η συνταγή στα ελληνικά: Μαύρη σούπα με γαρίδες