Okay, maybe the slug line up in the browser's title bar is contentious. There are people who would argue loudly that Ireland's favorite shellfish is the oyster, or possibly the mussel. But all the same, fishmongers all over the island would be embarrassed not to be able to offer Dublin Bay prawns to their customers all year round -- something they can't do with the other contenders.

One thing should be cleared up right from the start: Dublin Bay prawns don't come from Dublin Bay, and they aren't even prawns. They're a lobster -- not baby lobsters, as they're sometimes called, but micro-lobsters (the scientific name for them is Nephrops norvegicus). Elsewhere in Europe they're usually called Norway lobster, langoustines or scampi. The "Dublin Bay" moniker may have been hung on them in previous centuries when North Sea fishing boats were forced to take shelter in Dublin Bay during bad weather, and sold their catches of these little lobsters in Dublin before heading out again. In any case, the name has stuck regardless of the wee beasties' origin. They're fished all up and down the North Atlantic coasts of Europe -- including Ireland, of course -- and some are taken off the eastern seaboards of Canada and the United States as well.

The Dublin Bay prawn's meat is much more tender and rich-tasting than any shrimp or genuine prawn... which makes it popular here as a high-end appetizer (simply grilled or boiled and served with lemon and butter, as lobster would be). Dublin Bay prawns also turn up in stews or soups like this one, especially in seaside communities where fishermen's freshly landed catches go straight to the pubs, shops and homes of the appreciative locals. In this treatment -- passed to us by a friend originally from Skerries, a little fishing port town north of Dublin -- the prawns are teamed up with a creamy chowder-like soup base taken a little upmarket by the prawns themselves and by the peppery but delicate seasoning and a final swirl of double cream.

Click on "read more" for the recipe and method.    

Ingredients (to serve four):

• 1 liter / 1 quart milk
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced and chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 25-30 fresh or cooked Dublin Bay prawns
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay or similar crab / seafood spice
• or, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (Black pepper can be used as well, if you don't mind the flecks of dark color in the soup)
• Salt to taste

As garnish / to finish:

• 4 fluid ounces double cream
• 1 green onion / scallion, finely sliced
• If desired: grind of black pepper or nutmeg

First, prepare the prawns. If already cooked, pull the tails off the bodies, peel the shells off the tails, and use a small sharp knife to cut a slit down the back of each tail, revealing the "vein". Scrape this out with the tip of the knife or rinse away under cold running water.

If the prawns are fresh (always preferable), drop them into a pot of boiling water, seasoned (if you like) with two teaspoons of a crab boil spice like Old Bay, or a few grinds of black pepper. Boil for approximately 10 minutes: then remove and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and make the shell removal easier. When cool enough to handle, peel the shells off and clean the prawns as described above.

Chop each prawn tail into 3 or 4 pieces. Set the prawns aside while preparing the bisque.

Melt the butter in a heavy pot and sweat the chopped onions and diced potatoes gently in it for 10-15 minutes, being careful to keep the heat low so as not to brown the vegetables. When the onions are translucent and the potatoes are starting to become tender, add the 1/4 teaspoon crab boil spice or the paprika and white (or black) pepper. Stir well together and allow to cook for a few minutes to remove the raw flavor of the spices: then add the milk and bring to a simmer. Be careful not to allow the milk to boil. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

You now need to puree half the soup. Ladle half of it into a blender or food processor and blend / process it until smooth: or remove half of the soup to a separate container where you can use a stick mixer on it. Or else simply spoon potatoes and onions out of the soup and push them back into it through a sieve or food mill. Whichever method you use, after recombining the pureed soup with the rest of the soup in the pot, blend it all well together.

Now add the cooked, cleaned prawns and stir well again. Allow the soup to simmer for approximately another 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and finish with a swirl of double cream, a final grind of black pepper or nutmeg (if preferred), and a sprinkling of sliced scallions / green onions. Serve piping hot with crusty bread on the side.