It doesn’t take a whole lot of ingredients to make a delicious creamy soup that your whole family will enjoy. A little asparagus, shrimp, broth, and cream, are pretty much all it takes to make a bowl of amazingness. That and a bit of Old Bay Seasoning. It truly is the secret to this creamy Chesapeake soup’s fantastic flavor.
Soup is pretty cotton-pickin’ good no matter what time of year it is. In winter, it helps us survive the bitter freezing cold. In the fall, it helps us look forward to the changing seasons ahead. In summer, it helps to cheer us up on those days when the air conditioning is trying to freeze us out of existence. And in spring, it reminds us that vegetables are once again back in season.
No matter what time of year you make this soup, it’s bound to make your tummy pretty gosh darn happy with you. If it’s that time of year when fresh asparagus is easy to find, go ahead and use that. However, if it’s not the right season, don’t be afraid to look to your local market’s freezer. Whether you use fresh or frozen, it won’t make a damn bit of difference to your happy tummy.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
- 2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 (8-oz.) Bag Frozen Petite Asparagus Spears or 1 Bunch Trimmed Fresh Asparagus
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 1/2 Pounds Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined
Directions:
- Place the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the diced onion, Old Bay Seasoning, paprika, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onion is translucent.
- Cut the frozen or fresh asparagus spears into 1-inch sections and add them to the pot or Dutch oven along with the chicken stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- When the soup begins to boil, cover and decrease the heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the cream to the soup and purée the mixture with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender in small batches until smooth.
- Return the blended soup to the pot or Dutch oven it was cooked in. Increase the heat to medium, add the shrimp, and then cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
- If desired, serve garnished with a sprinkling of additional Old Bay Seasoning, paprika, or freshly ground black pepper.
Suggestions:
- If using fresh asparagus, make sure to cut or snap the woody ends off before using.
- Cutting the asparagus will make it easier to purée.
- There is quite a bit of sodium in Old Bay Seasoning, which is why I did not add any salt to this soup.
- You can use whatever size shrimp in this soup you choose.
- This recipe will yield 4 bowls of soup.
Improvements:
- Add more shrimp. There can never be too many shrimp.
- Replace the shrimp in this recipe with crab meat.
- Use frozen peas in this recipe instead of frozen asparagus.
- Garnish with finely chopped fresh chives.
- Serve with crusty bread.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
- 2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 (8-oz.) Bag Frozen Petite Asparagus Spears or 1 Bunch Trimmed Fresh Asparagus
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 1/2 Pounds Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined
Directions:
- Place the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the diced onion, Old Bay Seasoning, paprika, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onion is translucent.
- Cut the frozen or fresh asparagus spears into 1-inch sections and add them to the pot or Dutch oven along with the chicken stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- When the soup begins to boil, cover and decrease the heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the cream to the soup and purée the mixture with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender in small batches until smooth.
- Return the blended soup to the pot or Dutch oven it was cooked in. Increase the heat to medium, add the shrimp, and then cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
- If desired, serve garnished with a sprinkling of additional Old Bay Seasoning, paprika, or freshly ground black pepper.
PIN THIS RECIPE
Don’t let this recipe slip away. How often do you find a recipe intriguing, yet forget where to find it when you finally get the hankering to make it? Instead of digging through old posts or wandering aimlessly around on the internet, why not Pin this recipe to Pinterest where you can find it when you eventually need it? Simply Pin the image above and you’ll have it when that time comes. You can follow us HERE on Pinterest or simply click HERE to find all of our pin-worthy recipes.
Carrot & Fennel Soup with Homemade Stock
Poached Shrimp & Spring Onion One-Pot Soup
Chicken & Stars Soup with Peas & Fresh Dill
Soup Saturday Swappers is a group of friends who get together on the third Saturday of each month to share their favorite soup and stew recipes based on a theme chosen by one of the members. Visit our Pinterest board to find more great soup and stew recipes. This month’s “Soups with Spring Produce” themed Soup Saturday Swappers is being hosted by Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm: Caramelized Carrot Bisque
- Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Cannellini and Fennel Soup with Tomatoes and Kale
- Sue of Palatable Pastime: Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Soup
- Sid of Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Aspargessuppe (Danish-Style Asparagus Soup)
- Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe: Mix Veg Clear Soup
- Colleen of Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Creamy Chesapeake Asparagus & Shrimp Soup
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Salmorejo de Conejo
