Chupe de camarones

Ingredients

Shrimp

• 1 kgriver shrimp or prawns, heads and shells kept
• the coral and head fat, kept separately

Stock

• the shells and heads
• 1onion
• 1.5 litreswater

Base

• 1red onion, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbspají panca paste
• 1 tbspají amarillo paste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 4 tbspoil

Body

• 3potatoes, in chunks
• 1corn cob, in rounds
• 80 grice
• 150 gpeas
• 150 gbroad beans
• 1tomato, chopped

To finish

• 400 mlwhole milk
• or 300 ml milk and 100 ml evaporated milk
• 150 gqueso fresco, cubed
• 6eggs, one per bowl
• chopped huacatay or oregano

To serve

• hot, in deep bowls

Directions

1. Keep the heads and squeeze out the orange fat and coral from inside them. Fry the shells and heads hard in oil until deep pink and fragrant, crushing them as they cook. Cover with water and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, then strain and press the solids hard. Do not simmer it much longer than twenty minutes, since shellfish stock turns bitter beyond that.
2. Fry the finely chopped red onion in oil for ten minutes until completely soft. Cook the onion until it dissolves rather than merely softening, which is standard practice in Peruvian cooking.
3. Add the garlic, then the ají panca and ají amarillo pastes. Fry the pastes for four or five minutes until they darken and the oil separates. Add the cumin, oregano and chopped tomato and cook briefly. Add the potatoes, corn and rice and simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, about fifteen minutes. Add the peas and broad beans for the last five minutes.
4. Add the milk and bring it back only to a very gentle simmer. Never boil the soup hard once the milk is in, since it splits and curdles and the texture is ruined. Keep it at the barest simmer from this point onward.
5. Add the peeled shrimp and cook them for two to three minutes only. They are done the moment they turn opaque and curl into a loose C shape, and a moment longer makes them rubbery.
6. Crack an egg into a cup and slide it gently into the simmering soup, one per person. Keep the liquid at a bare simmer with almost no movement, since a boiling pot tears the whites into shreds. Cook them for three to four minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still soft. Add the cubed queso fresco in the last minute, which should soften rather than melt away.
7. Stir in chopped huacatay if you can find it, which is the Peruvian black mint and gives a distinctive aroma. Serve it immediately in deep bowls, making sure each gets an egg, shrimp, potato and corn.

Technique

• The orange fat from the shrimp heads is what gives it its character.
• It is made with freshwater river shrimp in Arequipa.
• The egg is poached directly in the soup, one per bowl.

Substitutions

• Sea prawns in place of river shrimp, keeping the heads if possible.
• Evaporated milk for part of the fresh milk, which is common in Peru.

Variations

• Made with a whole fish, as chupe de pescado.
• With more milk, for a richer soup.
• Made without the egg, which some prefer.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chupe de camarones?

Chupe de camarones is a soup & stew from Peru: arequipa river-shrimp chowder with milk, corn and egg.

How long does Chupe de camarones take to make?

Chupe de camarones takes 40 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chupe de camarones?

Yes, within limits. Sea prawns in place of river shrimp, keeping the heads if possible. Evaporated milk for part of the fresh milk, which is common in Peru.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chupe de camarones?

Keep the heads and squeeze out the orange fat and coral from inside them. Fry the shells and heads hard in oil until deep pink and fragrant, crushing them as they cook. Cover with water and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, then strain and press the solids hard. Do not simmer it much longer than twenty minutes, since shellfish stock turns bitter beyond that.