Equipment
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 15 ml olive oil
- 100 g leek, chopped
- 400 g celery, chopped
- 150 g radishes, chopped
- 5 g yellow curry powder
- 600 ml vegetable stock
- 100 g creme fraiche
- 5 g kosher salt
Curry-Spiced Shrimp
- 200 g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 15 ml olive oil
- 3 g yellow curry powder
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g kosher salt
Garnish
- 30 g radishes, thinly sliced
- 10 g celery leaves, fresh
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 228 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 13 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 1530 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 86 mg
- Potassium
- 594 mg
- Calcium
- 141 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 42 mg
- Phosphorus
- 192 mg
- Zinc
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 127 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 15 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 50 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.14 mg
- Niacin
- 1.5 mg
- Folate
- 77 mcg
- Water
- 224 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Wash and chop the leek, celery, and soup radishes into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped leek, celery, and radishes. Sweat the vegetables slowly until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes.
Stir the curry powder into the softened vegetables and cook for 1 minute until highly fragrant.
Pour in the vegetable stock and add the salt. Increase heat to bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are completely tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the hot soup to a blender. Add the creme fraiche and blend on high speed until completely smooth. For an ultra-refined texture, pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container.
Cover the strained soup and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill completely, for at least 2 hours.
While the soup is chilling, place the shrimp in a mixing bowl. Toss with the olive oil, curry powder, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated shrimp and sear for 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink, opaque, and cooked through to an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F. Remove from the pan and let cool.
To serve, ladle the chilled soup into bowls. Garnish each portion with the cooled spiced shrimp, thinly sliced raw radishes, and fresh celery leaves.
Chef's Notes
- Using the pale green inner celery stalks and leaves enhances both the vibrant color and sweet, delicate flavor of the soup without introducing bitterness.
- Sweating the vegetables slowly without browning is a foundational French technique that preserves their bright, fresh colors and prevents caramelized notes from overpowering the crisp profile of the dish.
- For a completely dairy-free alternative, substitute the creme fraiche with a high-quality, unsweetened coconut yogurt. The subtle coconut notes pair beautifully with the curry powder.
- Do not skip straining the soup if you are serving this for an elegant occasion. Celery strings are notoriously difficult for standard home blenders to break down entirely.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store the soup and the cooked shrimp in separate airtight containers to maintain optimal texture.
Troubleshooting
Soup texture is fibrous or grainy
Cause: Celery was not cooked long enough before blending, or the blender lacked sufficient power
Fix: Pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve or chinois to extract the liquid and discard the tough fibrous bits
Prevention: Ensure vegetables are completely tender before blending and use a high-speed blender
Shrimp are tough and rubbery
Cause: Overcooking during the searing phase
Fix: Chop the overcooked shrimp finely and use them as a textural sprinkle rather than a whole garnish to mask the chewiness
Prevention: Remove shrimp from heat immediately once they turn opaque and form a gentle C shape
Cultural Context
Chilled soups, such as the famous Vichyssoise, are a hallmark of classic French culinary tradition, designed to refresh the palate during warm summer months. The addition of curry powder in this recipe nods to Vadouvan and the historical French colonial influence in India, bringing a subtle, warming complexity to otherwise crisp, garden-fresh European ingredients.
