Spring Pea Soup with Spicy Shrimp

Chef Michael Schlow is making a delicious soup and pairing it with shrimp.

Ingredients for the Soup

4 cups Clear Vegetable Stock
1 Shallot, sliced
1 ½ cups Freshly Shelled Peas (about 1 ½ pounds unshelled; frozen peas can be substituted)
1 loosely packed cup Spinach, rinsed
10 fresh Mint Leaves
15-20 Ice Cubes
3 tablespoons Creme Fraiche
Salt and White Pepper
1 pinch Sugar

Ingredients for Salad

12 large Shrimp, in their shells
½ Red Onion, minced
½ teaspoon Chopped Cilantro
Squeeze of Lime Juice
1 pinch Togarashi
Salt and Pepper
4 Mint Sprigs, for garnish

Directions for Soup

1. Put the vegetable stock and shallot in a sauce pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Add the peas (if using frozen peas, thaw first), spinach, and mint leaves and cook until the peas are tender, about 1 minute.

3. Remove soup from heat and puree in three to four batches in a high-speed blender or food processor, adding 5 ice cubes t0 each batch.

4. Whisk in creme fraiche. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer.

5. Season with salt, white pepper, and sugar.

6. The soup can be prepared a few hours ahead and refrigerated; it is best served the day it is made.

DIrections for Salad

1. Cook shrimp in a pot of boiling water until pink, about 3 minutes.

2. Let cool slightly, remove the shells and devein.

3. Slice shrimp into ½ inch pieces.

4. Combine shrimp pieces with red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and togarashi.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Refrigerate until serving time; this salad can be prepared earlier in the day.

TO SERVE
- Divide the shrimp salad between four soup bowls and top with mint sprigs.
- Bring the bowls to the table and pour the soup over the shrimp. To look like a pro, pour the soup from a decorative pot, maybe a teapot.

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