Sandra Russet potatoes and diced carrots build the base of this stovetop soup alongside a roux, whole milk, and dissolved chicken bouillon. Roughly chopped shrimp go in at the very end, with shredded cheddar, crispy bacon, and fresh dill finishing each bowl. The soup serves 5 and takes about 30 minutes.
Paula Deen, host of Paula’s Home Cooking on Food Network, cooks the shrimp in a separate pot of salted boiling water. She pulls them just as they turn pink, roughly chops them, and stirs them in at the end. Shrimp added directly to the soup turn rubbery before the potatoes are done.
Two chicken bouillon cubes dissolve in half a cup of hot milk before joining the pot. Bouillon dropped into cold or warm liquid distributes unevenly and leaves salty pockets in the finished soup. Pre-dissolving guarantees the savory depth spreads evenly through every spoonful from the first stir.
Paula Deen Potato Shrimp Soup Recipe
Description
Paula Deen Potato Shrimp Soup Recipe with russet potatoes, shrimp, carrots, half-and-half, and chicken bouillon. Stovetop, serves 5 in about 30 minutes
Ingredients
Soup
Shrimp
Toppings
Instructions
- In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until softened. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Dissolve the bouillon cubes in ½ cup hot milk. Add the remaining milk, the bouillon mixture, cubed potatoes, salt, and pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the half-and-half and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until just pink. Drain, peel, and roughly chop.
- Stir the chopped shrimp into the soup. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheddar, crispy bacon, and fresh dill.
FAQs
What can replace the shrimp in this soup?
Corn is Paula Deen’s own suggested substitute for the shrimp, and it goes directly into the soup without a separate pot. Roughly diced crab meat is a richer seafood alternative that goes in at the same last step. Scallops cut into quarters work at the same 1-pound quantity and need the same 2 to 3 minutes to cook through.
Can the half-and-half be swapped for something lighter?
Heavy cream swaps in at the same 1-cup quantity and produces a richer, thicker soup. Whole milk alone at 1 cup replaces the half-and-half if a lighter finish is the goal, though the soup will be slightly less silky. Evaporated milk is a reliable option when neither is available and provides a similar creaminess.
How should the shrimp be sized and prepped?
Medium shrimp (41–50 per pound) give the best ratio of shrimp pieces to potato chunks in each spoonful. Larger shrimp benefit from a rough chop into thirds so each piece is proportionate to the diced potato. Smaller shrimp like salad shrimp go in whole since they’re already bite-sized and don’t need chopping.
What chicken soup pairs naturally with this in a weekly rotation?
A rich shrimp potato soup pairs naturally with a creamy chicken soup in the same weekly rotation. A creamy chicken and corn soup on this site builds shredded chicken and sweet corn into a thick, warming broth. Together the two give a soup rotation one seafood bowl and one chicken bowl with shared creamy depth.
What soup rounds out the week without standing over a second burner?
When the week’s second soup needs to be hands-off, a slow cooker version rounds out the plan. A slow cooker chicken thigh soup on this site builds tender chicken thighs into a long-simmered broth that cooks itself. Together the two cover a week of warming soups, one quick on the stovetop and one that runs in the background.
