Provencale Seafood Soup with Pistou

This Provencale seafood soup is the epitome of French summer elegance—a chilled, gazpacho-style soup made with homemade prawn stock, sun-ripened vegetables, and crowned with succulent prawns and vibrant basil pistou. It's the kind of dish that makes your dinner guests think you're a culinary genius, yet it's remarkably straightforward to prepare.

Inspired by the sun-drenched cuisine of Provence, this soup captures the essence of Mediterranean summer dining. The prawn stock adds a depth of seafood flavor, the roasted cherry tomatoes bring concentrated sweetness, and the pistou—that glorious basil and garlic sauce—ties everything together with its aromatic richness.

The Secret: Homemade Prawn Stock

Don't discard those prawn shells. They contain incredible flavor that most home cooks throw away. Sautéing the shells with tomato paste releases their sweet, briny essence into the stock. This 10-minute step transforms the soup from good to extraordinary.

The shells break down when blended, and straining produces a smooth, intensely flavored stock that forms the backbone of the soup. If you're buying prawns already peeled, ask your fishmonger for shells—they're usually happy to give them away.

Understanding Pistou

Pistou is the French Provençal cousin of Italian pesto. Traditional pistou contains just basil, garlic, olive oil, and sometimes cheese—no pine nuts. This recipe includes pine nuts for extra richness, making it a hybrid between the two traditions. Both are uncooked herb sauces that add vibrant, fresh flavor.

The combination of basil and parsley creates a more complex, slightly less assertive flavor than all-basil pesto. Use the freshest herbs you can find—wilted herbs make flat, dull pistou.

The Bread Thickening Technique

Soaking bread in olive oil before blending is a classic Mediterranean technique, used in gazpacho and other cold soups. The bread provides body and silkiness without cream or heavy ingredients. It also helps emulsify the soup, creating a smooth, cohesive texture.

Use good-quality sourdough or ciabatta with some age to it. Day-old bread works better than fresh because it absorbs the oil more readily without becoming gummy.

Seasoning Cold Soups

Here's a crucial tip: cold temperatures dull our taste perception. A soup that tastes perfectly seasoned when warm will taste flat and muted when chilled. Cold soups need more salt, more acid, and more pronounced seasoning.

Always taste the soup after chilling and adjust before serving. The pinch of cayenne isn't about heat—it adds a subtle warmth that enlivens the cold soup and makes the other flavors pop.

Perfect for Entertaining

This soup is ideal for summer dinner parties because almost everything can be prepared ahead. Make the soup base and pistou up to a day in advance, storing them separately in the refrigerator. The flavors actually improve overnight.

When guests arrive, simply divide the soup among bowls and top with prawns, roasted tomatoes, and pistou. Serve with chilled rosé and crusty baguette for the full Provençal experience.