Snip off and discard the prawn feelers. Peel the prawns, reserving the prawn heads, claws, shells and tails. De-vein the prawns, rinse and rub with corn flour and salt. Leave it aside for 3 minutes then rinse the prawns. Rubbing the prawns with corn flour and salt makes the prawns firmer and "crunchier". Dice the prawns into small pieces, leaving a few pieces whole for garnish.
Prawn Essence
Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat, until the butter has melted and started to foam. Add in the prawn heads, claws, shells and tails. Sauté until the prawn heads and shells turn red in colour, bashing the prawn heads to release the flavours. Add in the 2 cups of stock and bring it to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the essence cool slightly.
Place the essence in a food processor and blitz well. Drain the essence over a sieve, pressing down with a spoon to extract every bit of prawn essence. Discard the solids and set the essence aside while preparing the Soup Base.
Soup
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil over medium heat until the butter has melted and started to foam. Add in the prawns and sauté until the prawns are cooked. Remove the prawns and set aside.
Heat the remaining butter and oil and add in the onion, carrot and celery. Sauté slowly over medium-low heat until onion is translucent and the mixture is soft and fragrant, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Make a well in the middle of the mixture. Add in the tomato paste and mix with the vegetables. Add in the tomatoes, followed by the Prawn Essence, 4 cups of stock, bay leaves and 1/2 of the chopped prawns. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves. Blitz the soup well in a food processor. Stir in the remaining chopped prawns, bring to a simmer once again then stir in the cream. If you'd like the soup to be thicker, make the roux by mixing the butter and flour together and add it into the soup to thicken. Season with salt and black pepper.
Scoop the soup into a serving plate, garnish with the whole prawns, additional cream and chopped parsley. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
NOTES
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients and instructions! I tried to be as detailed as possible when writing down the recipe hence it's so long. The recipe is actually pretty easy to prepare, just that you need some time peeling and de-veining the prawns. Do read through the recipe a few times, have a mental idea of what you need to do and prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking. This keeps things organized and you will less likely to panic!
The prawns' flavours are maximised by infusing the prawn heads and shells into a stock; with some of the prawns being blitz into the soup. Chopped bits of prawns add a different texture to this delicious soup. Add in a little roux if you find that the soup is not thick enough. I like the consistency of the soup so I didn't add any roux - personal preference!