Smoked Paprika Shrimp Soup

My 16-year-old daughter loves to make soup, and she makes it often. Several weeks ago I was down with a pretty bad cold and asked her to make me some lovely medicinal soup. I watched her pull ingredients out of the fridge and cupboard, and then she said, "I'm going to experiment." Now, I love my daughter, and it's not that I didn't have faith in her experimental-soup-making ability, but I was sick and wasn't sure I wanted her experimenting with my soup.

You know that look your kids give you when you've crushed their soul? Yeah. That's the look I got when I gently expressed my concerns about her experimenting with my medicine.

OK. Do it.

What she came up with was pretty fantastic. The flavor of the smoked paprika was so, so good. And the shrimp was perfect. Ahhh...soup bliss...made especially tasty because it was made for me by someone who loved me. 

At the time there was no soup left for pictures, so I've recreated her soup here. The avocado is optional, but highly recommended. The cool creaminess of the avocado is a really nice contrast to the smoky spiciness of the soup.

When making this, remember that shrimp cooks really fast. Simply add it to the hot soup and it will be cooked through, but still tender and luscious, in about 3 minutes.

Smoked Paprika Shrimp Soup

printable recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, scraped and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

couple shakes cayenne pepper, optional

2 32-oz cartons chicken broth (8 cups)

2 cups water

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled & tails removed

diced avocado, optional

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper (optional), and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

2. Add the chicken broth and water, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, partially covered for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the shrimp and let it sit in the hot soup until it's no longer pink, about 3 minutes (don't simmer the soup with the shrimp in it). Serve with avocado if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings.