Step 1

Place the prawn shells and heads in a pot and add the stock, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, lemon peel and garlic. Bring up to a boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, covered until the stock is well infused by the shells.

Step 2

After 30 minutes, blend with an immersion blender until as smooth as possible then run through a sieve and discard all of the shells.

Step 3

In a separate pot, melt a little butter and fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds before adding the smoked paprika, tomato paste and sugar.

Step 4

Allow to fry for 30 seconds then pour in the prawn stock.

Step 5

Cook for 20 minutes then add the prawn/shrimp meat and cook for a few minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Blend the soup until smooth. I do this in my high-powered blender to make sure it's very smooth but you can use any blender and then pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve again.

Step 6

Pour the strained/blended soup back into a pot set over medium heat. Pour in the cream and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Season to taste and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. At this point, if the soup seems too thin, whisk in some flour mixed with water and allow to cook until thickened. Serve the bisque with a swirl of cream and parsley. I fried some whole shrimp/prawns in a splash of oil to add to the top but this is optional.

Step 7

Season to taste and serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.