My sister-in-law, Amy, never leads me astray when she recommends a recipe and two of the many things she does really well are sausage and shrimp!  You want proof?  See Creole Shrimp and Andouille Sausage with Cheddar Grits, one of her other great recommendations which will not dissapoint.  She brings shrimp into her meal rotation a lot more than I do, especially in the winter, and I respect that.  Recently she asked me if I’d ever had her Spicy Black Bean Soup, which I had not.  When she proceeded to tell me that it included a ‘limed up’ shrimp, I was even more intriqued.  The zesty limey shrimp bring so much brightness to soup.  I’m so happy to have this soup on The Common Plate for my own sake!  I will use this recipe often.  The whole family loved it!  My chili-loving kids thought this soup tasted a lot like my Classic Chili (but hey, this one is vegetarian!).  Puree it as much or as little as you like.  Enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Soup with Limey Shrimp (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced and divided

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

salt

pepper

½ tsp red chili flakes

zest and juice of 2 limes

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

16-20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off, your preference)

3 14 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 14 oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz. can fired roasted tomatoes

28 oz. tomato puree (or sub 1 8 oz. can tomato paste plus 1 extra cup of stock or water)

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup heavy cream, half and half or milk (eliminate if you are keeping it CLEAN, substitute stock or water if the soup seems to thick without it)

hot sauce to taste

Directions:

In a shallow dish, mix together 1 minced garlic clove, 3 Tbsp olive oil, red pepper flakes, lime zest, parsley and a dash of salt.  Add shrimp to coat and let rest.

In soup pot, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper.  Cook for another minute.  Add beans to pot.  Mash or blend slightly with immersion blender (alternative is to put half of the beans plus a little stock in your blender or food processor to puree, then add to soup pot).  Add tomatoes, tomato puree, chicken stock, and cream.  Bring to boil.  Simmer about 15 mintues.  While soup is simmering, heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes.  Flip shrimp over, add lime juice and cook another 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through.  The soup should be thick enough that you can stand the shrimp up or lightly rest them on top.  Serve with Tostitoes Lime Tortilla Chips (not if you want to keep it CLEAN though)!!!

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray’s Express Lane Cookbook