Rick Stein's prawns in prawn bisque

Method

1. 01

   Peel the prawns, keeping every head and shell — that is where the entire dish lives. Set the peeled tails aside in the fridge, de-veined.

2. 02

   Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a wide heavy pan until foaming. Fry the shells and heads over a high heat for 4–5 minutes, pressing down hard with a wooden spoon to crush the heads and release the coral. They should smell sweet and toasted, not burnt.

3. 03

   Add the onion, carrot, celery, fennel and garlic and cook for 8–10 minutes until softened and lightly coloured.

4. 04

   Stir in the tomato purée and cook out for 2 minutes. Pour in the brandy and — carefully — flame it or simply let it boil away for a minute. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

5. 05

   Add the tomatoes, stock, bay, thyme, orange peel, saffron and the rice. Bring to a simmer, then cook gently, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

6. 06

   Fish out the orange peel, bay and thyme. Blitz the whole lot — shells and all — in batches in a strong blender until it is a coarse purée, then pass it through a fine sieve, pushing hard with a ladle. Pass it a second time through a very fine sieve or muslin for the silk finish that matters.

7. 07

   Return the bisque to a clean pan, stir in the cream and warm through without boiling. Season with salt, a good pinch of cayenne and a squeeze of lemon until it tastes bright rather than heavy.

8. 08

   Just before serving, sear the peeled prawns in the remaining butter over a high heat for 60–90 seconds a side, until just pink and barely firm. Do not overcook them.

9. 09

   Ladle the hot bisque into warm shallow bowls, sit the prawns in the middle, drizzle a thread of cream, scatter chervil or dill, and take it to the table immediately with bread and cold white wine.