Chupe de Camarones: Prawn Chowder
Chupe de camarones — the prawn chowder of Arequipa — is one of the most complex single-dish preparations in Peruvian cooking: a rich, orange-red prawn broth containing rice, potatoes, corn, broad beans, egg, and fresh cheese — the entire range of Arequipa's agricultural production in a single bowl. The technique of building the prawn broth specifically — using the prawn heads and shells to make a concentrated stock before any other ingredients are added — is the foundation.
- **The prawn head stock:** The prawn heads and shells contain far more flavour compounds than the flesh — they are fried briefly in oil with onion, tomato, and ají panca, then simmered for 20 minutes to produce a concentrated, deeply flavoured orange stock. [VERIFY] Acurio's stock technique. - **The sequential addition:** Potato → rice (separately pre-cooked or raw added early) → corn → broad beans → prawn tails (added last — 3 minutes only). - **The egg:** A raw egg broken directly into the simmering chupe just before service — it poaches gently in the hot soup. - **The cheese:** Fresh queso fresco crumbled over the hot chupe at service.
Peru