Gloria's Shrimp Soup

If you’ve been here a while, you know how special my paternal grandmother was to me and she’s one of my reasons for loving food and cooking. Vivid memories of helping her in the kitchen have shaped how I work and how I treat recipes, and this one is no exception. I wanted to recreate her favorite soup by memory. When my grandparents visited us in Charleston, we’d have two immediate tasks after picking them up from the airport: grabbing fresh shrimp for dinner from a local seafood market and getting a huge bag of boiled peanuts for them to snack on in the car. It never failed.

It was so simple: shrimp and rice. I didn’t remember anything else going in the pot other than the standard run of Puerto Rican staples but I do remember the smell that permeated the entire house when she made this. She also always made garlic bread to go with the soup, not necessarily traditional, but perfect for dunking into the shrimpy broth.

As soon as I finished up the garlic bread on the stove and put a little plate of it next to my bowl of soup, I felt a sense of comfort. And when I ate my first spoonful, I immediately cried and called my mom to tell her I made my grandma’s soup like I remembered. Granted, you will most likely not have the same reaction to this as I did, but either way, you should make this simple soup anyway, haha. Note, that I’ve included the steps to make fresh shrimp stock (which I would definitely suggest doing here and not using store bought). Let’s get cooking!

Gloria’s Shrimp Soup

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Shrimp Stock Recipe

Vegetable oil

Shrimp shells from 1lb of shrimp

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp whole cumin seeds 

1 tsp sumac

2 bay leaves

4 green onions or 1 small yellow onion, halved

10 cups water

Shrimp Soup Recipe

1/4 cup Simple Sofrito

2 tbsp roasted red pepper strips in brine, diced 

2 tsp sliced manzanilla olives 

1 tsp tomato paste 

8 cups prepped shrimp stock (see previous recipe)

2 cups water 

Kosher salt, to taste

Sazón Spice blend, to taste

2/3 cup dry white rice

1lb raw large shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and butterflied down the middle (see note)

Hot sauce, to taste 

Garlic bread, for serving

Note: I like butterflying shrimp because they cook quickly, it’s a great way to stretch the shrimp so everyone gets plenty of them in each bite, and they curl up really pretty when cooked. Peep the photographs below to learn how to do this.

In a large pot, add a little bit of vegetable oil to the bottom of the pot, just enough to coat the bottom. Over medium heat, sauté the shrimp shells, using a spoon to press them down and stirring occasionally for about 4-6 minutes. Add the peppercorns, paprika, cumin seeds, sumac, and bay leaves to the shells and allow the spices to bloom until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add the green onions (or yellow onion) and the water.

Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer the stock for 20 minutes. Strain the stock and discard the shells and vegetables. Set aside for the soup.

Once you have the stock set aside, we can start on the soup itself. In a large pot (you can just use the same one you did for the stock that’s been rinsed out), add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot.

Over medium heat, sauté the sofrito until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Then, stir in the roasted red peppers, olives, and tomato paste. Sauté for another 2 minutes to bloom a bit, and then add the shrimp stock and water. Bring to a boil and then stir in the dry white rice.

Simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Then, turn the heat down to low and fold in the raw shrimp and stir. Heat them through until they’re just opaque and firm. Serve the soup with a good hit of hot sauce and with your favorite garlic bread. I made mine fresh by smashing some garlic cloves in my pilón and mixing it with some softened butter and toasting on each side in my cast iron skillet. Some tostones would be great for dunking as well!

¡Buen provecho!