Cook To Bang – Recipes To Get You Laid

You can almost hear the steel drums and kinky Reggae when you slurp this sexy take on a Caribbean classic.  It takes a little work to harness the flavors, but trust me when I say it’s well worth the time (hint hint).  Shrimp mango bisque is both nutritious and loaded with aphrodisiacs that will put you on the path to gratification.  The sweet taste of mango compliments the spices; the shrimp are just begging to soak in the sweet and spicy flavor bursts.  My first encounter with this dish was at Club Med in Turks and Caicos as a child rather clueless as to why the adults danced so closely together after a downing a bowl.  Perversity and ingenuity have since led me to honing the recipe to what you see before you. SMACK MY BISQUE UP has become a reliable go to dish that brings that Caribbean sunshine to my kitchen and bedroom even in the dead of winter.  Go on, make Bob Marley proud!

Total time: approximately 1 hour
Projected cost: $10-20 (depending on your location and season)
Drinking Buddy: Red wine or a Caribbean beer like a Red Stripe

Ingredients:
1. 1 teaspoon of paprika
2. 2 tablespoons of salt (more to taste)
3. 1 cup of flour
4. ¼ cup of vegetable oil
5. 1 teaspoon of turmeric
6. 1 plantain peeled and diced
7. 1 red bell pepper
8. 1 pound of shrimp (with shells and tails)
9. 1 red onion diced
10. 2 Poblano chilies deseeded and diced (jalapeños can substitute)
11. 2 mangos pureed (use frozen if need be)
12. 3 gloves of garlic minced
13. 1 handful of cilantro chopped coarsely

Step 1
Peel all the shrimp, separating the meat from the shells.  Create a shrimp stock by boiling the shells in 6 cups of water.  Keep this process going on a slow boil as you follow the rest of the steps.

Step 2
Combine the onions, bell pepper, chilies and cilantro into a bowl, and separate into two equal bowls.  Place one of these bowls right by the stove.  Create a roux by turning the stove up to high heat and throw in the vegetable oil, heat it up, then pour in the flour, mixing thoroughly without stopping (it will burn if you do) until it browns.  Next toss in half the veggies and stir until they cook into a rich brown mixture.

Step 3
Stir in the plantains and cook them until they become mushy.  Drain the shrimp stock of the shells and dump it all into the stockpot.  Bring it all to a boil, mix thoroughly until it becomes a thick consistency, and then toss in the remaining veggies.  Let it all simmer for 20-30 minutes so all the flavors cook in nicely.

Step 4
Allow the veggies to cook in the stockpot while you peel and puree the mango meat.  Pour it into the stockpot, mix it around and cook for 5 minutes.  Finally toss in the shrimp and cook them until they turn pink (approx 2 minutes).  Serve up the bisque with a few sprigs of cilantro with a sexy salad or fresh slab of fish or chicken like you’re serving up backhanded compliments.